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