philatory means A kind of transparent reliquary with an ornamental top, designed to exhibit bones. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 77 out of 100.
Why this word is great
PHILATORY — [Noun] A transparent reliquary, often with an ornamental top, designed for the conspicuous display of a sacred relic such as bone or cloth. From Old French filatiere, philatiere, ultimately from Late Latin phylacterium, from Greek phylaktērion ("amulet, safeguard"), from phylax ("guard"). Unlike a reliquary—which may be a sealed casket meant for veneration through faith alone—or a monstrance—which elevates the spiritual essence of the consecrated host—a philatory is a theater of mortal remains, a deliberate framing of the tangible. It is the gleam of gold filigree around a sliver of tibia, the dusty amber light passing through rock crystal to illuminate a tooth, the silent exhibition of a knucklebone in its little glass house: a crafted window not onto the divine, but onto the profound human need to see in order to believe.
noun
- A kind of transparent reliquary with an ornamental top, designed to exhibit bones.