Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Phylactery \Phy*lac"ter*y\, n.; pl. {Phylacteries}. [OE.
   filateri, OF. filatire, filatiere, F. phylact[`e]re, L.
   phylacterium, Gr. ?, fr. ? a watcher, guard, ? to watch,
   guard. Cf. {Philatory}.]
   1. Any charm or amulet worn as a preservative from danger or
      disease.

   2. A small square box, made either of parchment or of black
      calfskin, containing slips of parchment or vellum on which
      are written the scriptural passages Exodus xiii. 2-10, and
      11-17, Deut. vi. 4-9, 13-22. They are worn by Jews on the
      head and left arm, on week-day mornings, during the time
      of prayer. --Schaff-Herzog Encyc.

   3. Among the primitive Christians, a case in which the relics
      of the dead were inclosed.