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phylactery

phy·lac·tery/fəˈlæktəɹi/noun

phylactery is spelled P-H-Y-L-A-C-T-E-R-Y: 10 letters and 3 syllables (phy·lac·tery). It appears about once in every 46 million words in written English, the 209,386th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, phylactery means “Either of two small leather cases containing scrolls with passages from the Torah, traditionally worn by a Jewish man (one on the arm (usually the…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of phylactery is phylacteries.

How many letters and syllables are in phylactery?

Letters10: P-H-Y-L-A-C-T-E-R-Y
Syllables3: phy·lac·tery
In writingabout once in every 46 million words; the 209,386th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is phylactery?

Phylactery appears about once in every 46 million words in written English, the 209,386th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce phylactery?

  • UK /fɪˈlæktəɹi/
  • UK /fɪˈlæktɹi/
  • US /fəˈlæktəɹi/

Phylactery has 3 syllables, split phy·lac·tery in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-phylactery.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-philactory.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with phylactery?

3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as phylactery from its last stressed vowel (/æktəɹi/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of phylactery

  • phylacteries plural
  • philactery
  • philactory

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does phylactery mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Either of two small leather cases containing scrolls with passages from the Torah, traditionally worn by a Jewish man (one on the arm (usually the left) and one on the forehead) and now sometimes by a woman at certain morning prayers as a reminder to obey the law as set out in the Bible; a tefilla.

  2. 2

    derogatoryA profession of faith, or religious or traditional observance; also, a reminder.

  3. 3

    archaicA fringe which an Israelite was required to wear as a reminder to obey the law as set out in the Bible; (by extension) any fringe or border.

  4. 4

    archaicSynonym of amulet (“a protective charm or ornament”).

  5. 5

    archaicAn enchanted object used (for example, by a lich) to contain and protect the owner's soul.

  6. 6

    A scroll with words on it depicted as emerging from a person's mouth or held in their hands, indicating what they are singing or speaking; a banderole, a speech scroll.

  7. 7

    A list or record.

  8. 8

    obsoleteSynonym of reliquary (“a container to display or hold religious relics”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Phylactery in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchphylactère, tephillin, fronteau (either of two small leather cases containing…)
GermanPhylakterion, Denkzettel, Gebetsriemen, Tefillin (either of two small leather cases containing…), Spruchband (scroll with words on it depicted as emerging…)
Portuguesefilactério, tefilin (either of two small leather cases containing…), filactera, bandeirola, pergaminho de fala (scroll with words on it depicted as emerging…)
Spanishfilacteria (either of two small leather cases containing…)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does phylactery come from?

From Late Middle English philacterie, philaterie, filaterie (“amulet; tefilla; balderdash, idle words”), from Late Latin phylacterium (“amulet; reliquary; tefilla”), from Koine Greek φῠλᾰκτήρῐον (phŭlăktḗrĭon, “amulet; tefilla”) (used in the New Testament to translate Hebrew תפילין (“tefillin”)), from Ancient Greek φῠλᾰκτήρῐον (phŭlăktḗrĭon, “fortified outpost, watchman’s post; protection, safeguard”), from φυλακτήρ (phulaktḗr, “guard, watcher”) + -ῐον (-ĭon, suffix forming nouns).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after phylactery