phylactery

noun

1. (Judaism)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.

   “All there [the scribes and Pharisees'] workꝭ [workis] they do⸝ for to be ſene of men. They ſett abroade there philateris⸝ and make large borders on there garmenttꝭ [garmenttis]⸝ […]”

   “They [the scribes and Pharisees] walke vp and doune bearyng about brode Philacteries, they go with broad ⁊ gorgiouſe imbroderinges, and ſhewe furth the commaundementes of the lawe written in them, where as in their lyfe they neuer appeare.”

   “But all their [the scribes and Pharisees'] workes they doe, for to be ſeene of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, […]”

   “On the right hand of [a wax figure representing] Popery sat Judaism, represented by an old man embroidered with phylacteries, and distinguished by many typical figures, which I had not skill enough to unriddle.”

   “On the islet appeared a beautiful woman, clad in a watchet-coloured silken mantle, bound with a broad girdle, inscribed with characters like the phylacteries of the Hebrews.”

2. (Judaism, derogatory, figuratively)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.

   “[…] I ſend him back again for a phylactery to ſtitch upon his arrogance, that cenſures not onely before conviction ſo bitterly vvithout ſo much as one reaſon giv'n, but cenſures the Congregation of his Governors to their faces, for not being ſo haſty as himſelf to cenſure.”

   “To thoughtful Obſervators the vvhole VVorld is a Phylactery, and every thing vve ſee an Item of the VViſdom, Povver, or Goodneſs of God.”

3. (Judaism, archaic)A 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.

   “This Fabrick vvas ſo ſtupendous, as that vvhen King Cambyſes [II] had ſack'd and raz'd Syene, and the Flames had rambled to the Borders and the Phylacteries (as it vvere) of this Obelisk, he commanded the Fire to be extinguiſh'd, being ſtruck vvith Admiration of ſo venerable a Pile.”

   “[S]uddenly now, / Full-statured, with uplifted head she walks, / And drops her loosed phylacteries in the dust.”

4. (archaic)Synonym of amulet (“a protective charm or ornament”).

   “In John Metham's Romance of Amoryus and Cleopes, dating from the mid-fifteenth century, a Medea-like figure named Cleopes equips her beloved knight Amoryus of Thessaly with various forms of magic in order to battle against the dragon. […] Amoryus's magic aids include a "Phylactery" (stanza 206, line 1423).”

5. (archaic, broadly)Synonym of amulet (“a protective charm or ornament”).

   “"Heh. No. You're right about that. Often an object that was important to a lich in life serves as the phylactery, but it could be anything," Diran said. "Something as simple as a locked chest or as ornate as a piece of sculpture. We won't know for certain until we find it, but whatever object is used, it is always cold to the touch."”

   “'So,' says Calli impatiently, holding her head proudly, 'let's destroy the phylactery and let the lich rot in peace and then take the artefacts.' / 'It's not as simple as that,' says Joachim. 'The phylactery is the mask.' / An unnerving silence fills the room. The only way to destroy a lich permanently is to destroy the phylactery it uses to house its soul.”

6. (historical)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.

   “[T]o bear on their faces, as plainly as on a phylactery, the inscription, "Do, pray, look at the coronet on my panels;" […]”

   “The sun coming in through the rose window in the south transept made the phylactery which the angel bore glow like a topaz, and gilded the hermit's bald head, while it turned the ciborium below into shining gold.”

   “Just as phylacteries became more commonplace in prints in the 17th century, there was a growing aversion for the use of phylacteries in paintings. […] Devils and corrupt politicians were more likely seen to speak using phylacteries, whereas virtuous characters were more often depicted as silent.”

   “That the inscribed rolls (also referred to as phylacteries, ribbons, banderoles, or scrolls) depicted in, for example, manuscript illuminations are signs of a residual orality that would work much like a speech balloon is an interpretation challenged not only by codicolgical and diplomatic evidence, however scant, but further by the use of hands in the iconography of the period.”

   “On the other hand, the pseudo-dialogues inside the phylacteries introduce an ironic tone in narrative strips like [Francis] Barlow's, but they are not a means of dramatization; it is as if the characters, instead of talking to each other, were talking to the reader in order to state their intentions, make witty comments, or explain the situation.”

7. (figuratively, historical)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.

   “Here is the phylactery of his [John of Lancaster, Duke of Bedford's] vices—wily, wary, cold, calculating, indirect, faithless. In act, treacherous and cruel.”

8. (historical, obsolete)Synonym of reliquary (“a container to display or hold religious relics”).

   “Reliquary phylacteries could serve as suspension capsules or containers for holy relics.”

   “After Marie [of Oignies] was exhumed around 1226, another of her fingers was placed in a phylactery that was created by Hugh of Oignies and remained at Oignies until 1817[…].”