phylactery

Pronunciation

• IPA: /fɪˈlæktəɹi/ (UK); /fəˈlæktəɹi/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English filaterie, philaterie,^[2][3][4][5] from Old French filatiere^[2][3][4] and from Medieval Latin philaterium,^[3][4][5][6] an alteration of Late Latin phylactērium “reliquary”,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from Ancient Greek φυλακτήριον (phulaktḗrion, “safeguard, amulet; guard post”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} from phulássein “to guard”, from phúlax “guard”.^[2][3][4][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A small leather box containing passages of Scripture, worn by Jewish men on the arm and forehead (about 1380–84).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The custom is based on a literal reading of Deuteronomy 11:18, which bids the words of the Law to be bound on the hand and between the eyes.^[4] The word was also used for a case holding a holy relic (1398),^[7][6] an amulet worn against disease (1693),^[7][2][5][6] and figuratively a reminder or an ostentatious display of piety (1645).^[7][2] In medieval art it named a scroll showing a figure's words.^[7][1]

Timeline

• about 1380 – a Jewish prayer box.^[7][3]
• 1398 – a reliquary.^[7]
• 1645 – a reminder; a show of piety.^[7]
• 1693 – an amulet.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. Either of two small leather boxes containing strips of parchment with passages from the Hebrew Scriptures, worn on the forehead and left arm by observant Jewish men during weekday morning prayers.
2. An amulet or charm.
3. A reminder.
4. A container for a holy relic; a reliquary.

Word family

• phylacteried

Related words

• amulet

Usage notes

Wiktionary notes that some Jewish people object to the popular use of phylactery for a necromancer's soul-holding object in fantasy fiction.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press