Your associate has perhaps initially put back bract (8)

'bract' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are singular nouns.
Maybe there's an association between them I don't understand?

'your associate has perhaps initially put back' is the wordplay.
'your' becomes 'yr' (shortened version of 'your' in eg textspeak).
'associate' becomes 'ally' (ally is a kind of associate).
'initially' suggests taking the first letters.
'put back' says the letters should be written backwards.
The initial letters of 'has perhaps' is 'hp'.
'yr'+'ally'+'hp'='yrallyhp'
'yrallyhp' reversed gives 'PHYLLARY'.

Can you help me to learn more?