tefillin

noun

te·​fil·​lin tē-ˈfi-lən 

 also  -ləm

plural in form but sometimes singular in construction

: the phylacteries worn by Jews

Examples of tefillin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In his writing, Fink compassionately addressed subjects like women’s participation in tefillin wrapping, assimilation, discrimination and how the Orthodox world treats the LGBTQ community — taking positions that were often at odds with mainstream Orthodox Jewish thought. —Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2025

Chabad had set up a truck for men to come and put on tefillin. —Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 5 July 2024

Avraham Shaya Eisenman, 32, wearing tefillin, a small leather box containing religious texts. —Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 4 Nov. 2023

In one scene, he’s shown wrapping the leather straps of tefillin — small prayer boxes — around his arms. —Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 27 Oct. 2023

People could sometimes see marks from my tefillin. —Josefin Dolsten, sun-sentinel.com, 28 Oct. 2020

The groom’s future brother-in-law got his first tefillin from the synagogue’s rabbis. —Masada Siegel, WSJ, 22 Feb. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Late Hebrew tĕphīlīn, from Aramaic, attachments

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tefillin

• vanillin
• amoxicillin
• carbenicillin
• haematoxylin
• ampicillin
• methicillin
• penicillin
• pyroxylin
• millon
• villain