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The Masonic Dictionary
Masonic Abbreviations
Abif - An honorary title given to Hiram, the Tyrian builder.
Accepted - The Latin accipere, receive, was from ad, meaning "to," and capere, meaning "take," therefore to take, to receive The passive apprenticeship and initiation, but after the participle of this was acceptus. In Operative Masonry members were admitted through course of time, and when the Craft had begun to decay, gentlemen who had no intention of doing builders' work but were interested in the Craft for social, or perhaps for antiquarian reasons, were accepted" into embership; to distinguish these gentlemen Masons from the Operatives in the membership they were called the "Accepted." After 1717, when the whole Craft was revolutionized into a Fraternity, all members became non-Operatives, hence our use of the word in such phrases as "Free and Accepted Masons."
Accord - Agreement, required ofl Masons to attain true
Brotherhood.
Active Member - One who pays of his yearly dues and who takes part in the work of the Lodge.
Adjournment - Adjournment of a Lodge is only done by the Worshipful Master.
Admonish - An admonition must be given with brotherly affection and with "mercy unrestrained."
Adoration - With Freemasons, God is worshipped in adorations which are expressed in both silent and oral prayers.
Adversity - Problems, Mason's help Brother Masons in adversity.
Affiliate - Filius is Latin for son, filia for daughter; the prefix "af" is a form of the Latin ad, meaning to add to. To be affiliated means therefore to be adopted into a family as a son or daughter, a meaning that beautifully covers a Mason's relation to his Lodge once he has affiliated with it.
Affirmation - Affirmations are a promise but only oaths are
admissible in Freemasonry.
Age, Lawful - This is the age when a man may apply to join a Masonic Lodge.
Aid of Deity - A fundamental principle of Freemasonry is asking
for aid in prayer.
Alarm - Someone desires to be admitted to the Lodge Room..
Allegiance - A Mason first allegiance is to God, second to family, and last to Lodge.
Allegory - The Greeks called a place of public assembly agora; from this they built the word agoreuein, meaning speak, in the sense of addressing a public. When to this is added alias, meaning another, the compound gives us our "allegory," which is the speaking about one thing in the terms of something else. In Masonry we have the allegory of Solomon's Temple, of a journey, of the legend of a martyr builder, etc., in each case the acting and describing of one thing being intended to refer to some other thing. For example, the building of Solomon's Temple is described, not for the purpose of telling how that structure was erected, but to suggest boxy men may work together in brotherliness at a common task.
All-Seeing Eye - A symbol of the omnipresence and omniscience of God.
Almsgiving - Helping the poor.
Altar - A place of sacrifice or worship. Where Masons assume the oaths and obligations of the several Degrees.
Amen - In agreement, as in So mote it be.
Anchor - The symbol of mans hope of immortality and a safe landing in the haven of eternal security.
Anger - Vexation, ire or rage
Anxiety - A feeling of uneasiness.
Apprentice - In Latin apprehendre meant to lay hold of a thing in the sense of learning to understand it, the origin of our "apprehend." This became contracted into apprendre and was applied to a young man beginning to learn a trade. The latter term came into circulation among European languages and, through the Operative Masons, gave us our "apprentice," that is, one who is beginning to learn Masonry. An "Entered Apprentice" is one whose name has been entered in the books of the Lodge.
Apron - In early English, napron was used of a cloth, a tablecloth, whence our napery, napkin; it apparently was derived from the Latin mappa, the source of "map." "Apron is a misdivided form of "a napron," and meant a cloth, more particularly a cloth tied on in front to protect the clothes. The Operative Masons wore a leather apron out of necessity; when the craft became speculative this garment, so long identified with building work was retained as the badge of Masons; also as a symbol of purity, a meaning attached to it, probably, in comparatively recent times, though of this one cannot be certain.
Apron, Washington's - The Marquis Lafayette presented George Washington with an apron at Mount Vernon that the emblems of Freemasonry had been embroidered by Madam Lafayette.
Arch, Holy Royal - The pillars which support the arch represent Wisdom and Strength; the former denoting the wisdom of the Supreme Architect of the universe.
Architecture - The Freemasons five orders of architecture are Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan and Composite.
Artificers - Skilled workmen in the building of the Temple.
Arts, Parts and Points - Arts represents the knowledge or things made known; Parts, the degrees into which Masonry is divided; and Points, the rules and usages of Masonry.
Arts and Sciences - Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music and Astronomy are Freemasonries arts and sciences.
Ashlar- - The Latin assis was a board or plank; in the diminutive form, assula, it meant a small board, like a shingle, or a chip. In this connection it is interesting to note that our "axle" and' "axis" were derived from it. In early English this became asheler and was used to denote a stone in the rough as it came from the quarries. The Operative Masons called such a stone a "rough ashlar," and when it had been shaped and finished for its place in the wall they called it a "perfect ashlar." An Apprentice is a rough ashlar, because unfinished, whereas a Master Mason is a perfect ashlar, because he has been shaped for his place in the organization of the Craft.
Asher - Asher was the eighth sone of Jacob.
Ask, Seek, Knock - The applicant for membership in Freemasonry Asks for acceptance, Seeks for Light, and Knocks for initiation.
Atheist - The Greek for God was theos; when the j prefix a was placed before it, we get the origin j of "atheism," signifying a denial of the god, or gods. The word should be distinguished from "agnosticism," which means neither to affirm nor to deny but to remain in doubt; and from "infidel," which means that one does not believe some doctrine. Christians call Mohammedans "infidels" because they do not believe the Bible; Mohammendans call Christians "infidels" because they do not believe the Koran. In as much as Masonry requires of a petitioner that he believe in God the atheist is automatically excluded from the Fraternity.
Audi, Vide, Tace - The Latin worded Masonic motto "Hear, See, Be Silent."
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Badge of a Mason - See Apron (above).
Balloting - Voting on the acceptance or rejection of a candidate. Every member is required to vote conscientiously for the good of the Lodge
Banishment - The exile of one who is unworthy.
Barefoot - The removal of one or both shoes.
Beauty - The beauty of character and the virtues of true manhood.
Beehive - A symbol of an obedient people and industry.
Benediction - A solemn invocation of Divine Blessing.
Benevolence - To do good and be charitable.
Bible - The Great Light of Freemasonry. An open Bible is on the altar during all work of the Lodge, and certain appropriate passages are used for the different Degrees.
Bigotry - Intolerance toward those of different creeds or
religious affiliations.
Blue - Blue is the color of Freemasonry and the vault of Heaven. Blue and white are the only color ever used for decoration in a Master Mason's Lodge.
Boaz - The left-hand pillar that stood on the porch of King Solomon's Temple.
Book Of The Law - The Holy Bible.
Brass - An alloy of copper with another metal added for strength.
Brother - This word is one of the oldest, as it is one of the most beautiful, in any language. No-body knows where or when it originated, but it is certain that it existed in the Sanskrit, in a form strikingly similar to that used by us. In Greek it was phrater, in the Latin frater, whence our "fraternal" and "fraternalism." It has always meant men from the same parents, or men knit by very close blood ties. When associated with "initiation, which las the general meaning of "being born into," one can see how appropriate is its k use in Freemasonry. All of us have, through initiation in our "mother" Lodges, been born into a Masonry and therefore we are "brothers," and that which holds us together in one great family is the "Mystic Tie," the Masonic analogue of the blood tie among kinsmen.
Brotherly Love - Godly men love their neighbors and that this love should be for all mankind.
Building of the Temple - The Masonry rituals are traced directly back to the building of the king Solomon's Temple.
Burial - The interment of their dead.
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Cable Tow - A cable tow is a rope used for leading. The covenant which binds all Masons.
Cabul - Sterile, barren and displeasing.
Candidate - Among Romans it was the custom for a man seeking office to wear a shining white robe. Since the name for such a color was candidus (whence our "candid"), the office seeker came to be called candidate. In our ceremonies the custom is reversed: the candidate is clothed after his election instead of before.
Cardinal - In Masonry we have "cardinal points" and "cardinal virtues." The Greeks had kradan, meaning, "swing on," and the Romans had cardo, meaning"hinge." The roots mean that on which a thing swings, or hinges, on which a thing depends or hangs, therefore anything that is of fundamental or pivotal, importance. A member of the Sacred College of the Roman Church is a Cardinal because of the importance of his office, which ranks next in dignity to that of the Pope. The cardinal points of the compass are those from which are determined all other points, north, east, south, west; the cardinal virtues are those which are fundamental to all other virtues.
Cardinal Points - East, West, South and North. for Wisdom; Strength; Beauty; and Darkness.
Cardinal Virtues - Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence and Justice.
Carnality - Fleshly appetites which are natural to humanity, but in Freemasonry men are taught self-control, temperateness, regularity, and lawfulness.
Cedars of Lebanon - Solomon used cedars of Lebanonfor in the construction of the Temple.
Ceremony - The Latin caerimonia referred to a set of formal acts having a sacred, or revered, character. A ceremony differs from a merely formal act in that it has a religious significance; a formality becomes a ceremony when it is made sacred. A "ceremony" may be individual, or may involve only two persons; a rite" (see below under "ritual") is more public, and necessarily involves many. An "observance" is public, as when the whole nation " observes" Memorial Day. A "Master of Ceremonies" is one who directs and regulates forms, rites and ceremonies.
Chambers - King Solomon's Temple was a series of chambers built on the north, south and west sides of theTemple.
Charge - Charges are given to the candidate as he advances from one Degree to another.
Charity-
The Greeks had a word, charisma, meaning a gift, and a number of words from the same root, variously suggesting rejoicing, gladness. The Latins had a similar word, carus, and meaning dear, possibly connected with am or, signifying love. From these roots came "grace," meaning a free, unbought gift, as in the theological phrase, "the grace of God," and "charity." Strictly speaking, charity is an act done freely, and spontaneously out of friendship, not as a civic duty and grudgingly, as is sometimes the case in public charity. The Masonic use of the word is much nearer this original sense, for a Mason extends relief to a needy brother not as a duty but out of friendship.
Charter - In Latin charta was a paper, a card, a map; in Medieval Latin this became an official paper, as in the case of "Magna Charta." Our "chart" and "card" are derived from the same root. A Masonic charter is the written paper, or instrument, empowering a group of brethren to act as a Lodge.
Circumambulation -
In Masonic terminology this is the technical name of that ceremony in which the candidate walks around the Lodge. The word 4 is derived from the Latin prefix cireum, meaning "around," and ainbulare, meaning "walk," whence our ambulate, ambulatory, etc.; a circumambulation is therefore a walking around. In ancient religions and mysteries the worshippers walked around an altar; imitating the movements of the sun; this became known as circumambulation, and is the origin of our own ceremony.
Citizenship - Democratic principles, good government, freedom of conscience and civic liberty.
Clay Ground - A special clay found only in the Jordan Valley was used in casting the two great pillars, called Boaz and Jachin.
Clandestine - In Anglo Saxon "helan" meant something hidden, or secret, a meaning preserved in "conceal;" "hell," the hidden place, is from the same word. Helan descended' from the Latin celare, hide; and on this was built the Latin clandestinus, secret, hidden, furtive. In English clandestine, thus derived, came to mean a bad secret, one that must be indulged in furtively. A secret may be innocent; it is merely something done without the knowledge of others, and nothing is more common; but a clandestine act is one done in such a way as to elude observation. Clandestine Masonry is a bad kind of irregular and unlawful secret society falsely claiming to be Masonic. In the Constitutions a Clandestine Mason is defined as, "One claiming to be a Free and Accepted Mason not having received the degrees in a Lodge recognized as regular by the Grand Lodge of the State of New York."
Clothing - In early English cloth was used of garment, dress, and shows up in our clad, cloth, clothe, clothing. Clothing is the set of garments, or coverings, by which the body is protected from the weather and concealed from view. In Masonic usage the meaning is much narrower and more technical; a Mason is clothed when he wears the apron, white gloves, and the emblem of his rank. The apron and gloves are also employed as symbols, though have pretty much fallen into disuse in American Masonry.
Column - The Greeks called the top or summit of anything kolophon; in Latin culmen had a similar meaning; from these origins come our culmination ;" excelsior, colophon, colonnade, colonel, and climax appears to he closely related to it. A "column" is a cylindrical, or slightly tapering, support; a "pillar" is a rectangular support. Either may stand free or be incorporated into the building fabric. The officers of a Lodge are figured as columns because they are the supports of the official fabric of the Lodge. The Great Pillars are symbolical representations of the two pillars, which stood on the Porch of King Solomon's Temple.
Communication - There is some dispute as to the origin of this word but usually it is held to have come from communis, a Latin term for general, or universal, whence our common, common wealth, communion, communism, communal and many similar words. To communicate is to share something with others so that all may partake of it; a communication is an act, transaction, or deliberation shared in by all present. From this it will be seen how appropriate is our use of the word to designate those official Lodge meetings in which all members have a part or a voice.
Compasses - This is the plural of compass, from the Latin corn, meaning "together," and passus, meaning a pass, step, way, or route. Contrivance, cunning, encompass, pass, pace derive from the same roots. A circle was once described as a compass because all the steps in making it were ''together," that is, of the same distance from the center; and the word, natural transition, became applied to the familiar two-legged' instrument for drawing a circle. Some Masons use the word in the singular, as in "square and compass," hut the plural form "square and compasses" would appear to he preferable, especially since it immediately distinguishes the working tool from the mariner's compass, with which it might be otherwise confused by the uninformed.
Consecration - Sacer was the
Latin for something set aside as holy. By prefixing con, meaning "together," consecrare resulted, the general significance of which was that by adding to some holy object a formal ceremony
the object was declared to be holy to the public, and must therefore be treated as such. The ceremony of consecrating a Lodge room is a way of giving notice to the public that it has been dedicated, or set aside, for Masonic purposes only.
Constitution - Statuere meant that a thing was set, or placed, or established; when con was added (see immediately above) constituere meant than an official ceremony had set, or fixed, or placed a thing. From the same source come statue, statute, institute, restitute, etc. A Lodge is "constituted" when it is formally and officially set up, and given its own permanent place in the Fraternity.
Contention Among Brethren - Differences of opinion.
Cornerstone - The block at the corner of two wall of a building in which often certain historic documents are placed and on which historic inscriptions are engraved.
Covenant of Masons - A covenant is a contract or agreement between two or more parties on certain terms.
Cowan - The origin is unknown, but it may be early Scotch. It was used of a man who practiced Masonry, usually of the roughest character as in the building of walls, who had not been regularly trained and initiated, corresponding in some sense to "scab" as used by labor unions. If a man has learned the work by some illegal method he is a cowan. An "eavesdropper" is one who spies on a Lodge, and may be such without having learned anything about it before. A "clandestine" is one who has gone through initiation ceremonies but not in a regular Lodge.p
Craft- In Anglo-Saxon, craft meant cunning, skill, power, dexterity, etc. The word became applied to trades and occupations calling for trained skill on the part of those practicing it. The distinction between such trades and those not requiring trained workmen, so rigidly maintained, was one of the hallmarks of the Middle Ages. Freemasonry is called a Craft, partly for historical reasons, partly because, unlike so many fraternities, it requires a training (given in the form of initiation ceremonies) of those seeking its membership.
Craftsmen - In speculative Masonry, the Fraternity is called the Craft, therefore the members are called Craftsmen.
Creation - God created the earth and the heavens.
Cubit - The sacred cubit is 36 inches; the profane cubit is 18 inches.
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Darkness to Light - The teaching of
Freemasonry bring a man from darkness to light.
Day - A period of twenty-four hours. The period between sunrise and sunset.
Deacon-Despite the fact that the bloom has been rubbed off by our slangy use of it, this is one of the most beautiful words in our language. In Greek, diakonos was a servant, a messenger, a waiting man. In the early Christian Church a deacon served at the Lord's Supper and administered alms to the poor; and the word still most frequently refers to such a church officer. It appears that the two Lodge offices of Senior and Junior Deacon were patterned on the church offices.p
Death - The sleep after a person dies until the resurrection of a spiritual body.
Degree - The Latin gradus from which are derived grade, gradual, graduation, etc., meant a step, or set of steps, particularly of a stair; when united with the prefix, da, meaning "down," it became degradus, and referred to steps, degrees, progress by marked stages. From this came our "degree," which is a step, or grade, in the progress of a candidate toward the consummation of his membership. Our habit of picturing the degrees as proceeding from lower to higher, like climbing a stair, is thus very close to the ancient and original meaning of the word.
Demit - (Also spelled "dimit.") As a verb this hails from the Latin dimettere, to send away, to release, to let go; we have it in our "dismiss." To dimit from an organization is, using the official form, to resign, to relinquish one's membership. It has this meaning in Masonry.
Destruction of the Temple - The destruction of the Temple of Solomon was often prophecied and as predicted by God occured by the the armies of Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C..
Distressed Worthy Brother - Masons go to the aid of a distressed worthy Brother.
Dotage - An old man in his dotage is one whose who has suffered the loss of judgment and memory and incapable of comprehending the lessons of Freemasonry.
Dues - In Latin debere meant to owe something; it is preserved in our familiar, too familiar, "debt," in debit, indebted, debenture, duty, dues, etc. Related is the French devoir, often employed in English, meaning a piece of work one is under obligation to do. The same idea appears in "duty," which means that which is due, or that which is owed, in the moral sense. Dues represent one's fixed and regular indebtedness to his Lodge which he placed himself under obligation to pay when he signed the by-laws.
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Eavesdropper - Early European peoples used a word
in various forms - evese, obasa, opa, etc., -which meant the rim, or edge, of something, like
the edge of a field; it came in time to be applied wholly to the gutter which runs along the edge of a roof. (Our "over" comes from this root.) "Dropper" had an origin among the same languages, and meant that which drips, or dribbles, like water dropping from a thawing icicle. Eavesdrop, therefore, was the water which dripped from the eaves. If a man set himself to listen through a window or keyhole to what was going on in a house he had to stand so close that the eavesdropping would fall upon him, for which reason all prying persons, seeking by secret means what they have no business to know, came to be called eavesdroppers.
Edict - The root of this word is the Latin dicere, speak; united with the prefix e, meaning out, to come forth, it produced edicere, meaning to proclaim, to speak out with authority. It came in time to be applied to the legal pronouncements of a sovereign or ruler speaking in his own name and out of his own authority. When a Grand Master issues a certain official proclamation in his own name and out of the authority vested in his office it is an edict
Emblem - This beautiful and significant word, so familiar to Masons, has historical affiliations with the original idea embodied in "mosaic work," on whch something is said below. Emblem is derived from the Greek prefix en, meaning in, united with ballein, meaning cast, put. The word became applied to raised decorations on pottery, to inlay work, tessellated and mosaic work; and since such designs were nearly always formal and symbolical in character, emblem came to mean an idea expressed by a picture or design. As Bacon put it, an emblem represents an intellectual conception in a sensible image. It belongs to that family of words of which type, symbol, figure, allegory, and metaphor are familiar members.
Emblem of Innocence - The lamb is used as an emblem of innocence, and the white leather lambskin apron is regarded as an emblem of purity for Masons. This is the opposite of exoteric. The root of it is the Greek eso, within. It means that which is secret, in the inner circle. Exoteric is that which is outside. In Masonry the "esoteric work" is that part of the Ritual which it is illegal to publish, while the exoteric is that part which is published in the Monitor.
Eternal Life - The faith and belief in eternal life beyond the grave.
Evergreen - A symbol of the immortality of the soul.
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Fellow- In Anglo Saxon lagu (from which we have "law") meant that which was permanently ordered, fixed, set; fe meant property; fela suggested properties set together, in other words, a partnership. From this we have "fellow," a companion, mate, partner, an equal, a peer. A man became a "fellow" in a Medieval guild or corporation when admitted a member on the same terms as all others, sharing equally in the duties, rights, and privileges. In Operative Masonry, in order to be a fellow a man had to be a Master Mason, in the sense of having passed through his apprenticeship, so that Masters were fellows and fellows were Masters. Prior to about 1740 "Fellow of the Craft" and "Master Mason" referred to the same grade or degree, but at about that year a new division in ranking was made, and "Fellow Craft" was the name given to the Second Degree in the new system, Master Mason to the Third.
Form - We speak of the "form of the Lodge," "due form," etc. The word is derived from the Latin forma, which meant the shape, or figure, or frame of anything; also it was used of a bench, or seat, whence the old custom of calling school benches "forms." It is the root of formal, formation, informal, and scores of other English words equally familiar. The "form of the Lodge" is its symbolical shape; a ceremony is in "due form" if it have the officially required character or framework of words and actions.
Fortitude - The key to the meaning of this magnificent word lies in its derivation from the Latin fords, meaning strong, powerful, used in the Middle Ages of a stronghold, or fort. Force, enforce, fortify, fortification, forceful, are from the same root. A man of fortitude has a character built strong like a fort, which can be neither taken by bribe nor over-thrown by assault, however strong may be the enemy, or however great may be the suffering or deprivation within. One is reminded of Luther's great hymn, "A mighty fortress is our God."
Fraternity- This the most
prized, perhaps, of all words in Masonry, harks back to the Latin frater, which is so closely allied to "brother," as already noted in the paragraph on that word. It gives us fra, frater, fraternize, and many other terms of the same import. A fraternity is a society in which the members strive to live in a brotherly concord patterned on the family relations of blood brothers, where they are worthy of the tie. To be fraternal means to treat another man as if he were a brother in the most literal sense.
Free - Operative Masons who worked on King Solomon's Temple were exempted from imposts, duties and taxes as were their descendants and as such declared to be "free."
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G - The letter "G", the most sacred symbol in Freemasonry. The
Lodge cannot open, and no work can be performed unless this sacred letter is conspicuously seen in its regularly assigned place of honor in the Lodge hall. It is representive of God and the science of geometry.
Gage - Gage (also spelled "gauge") has an uncertain ancestry. Early French and English peoples had gauger, gagen, etc., which referred to the measuring of wine casks; some believe our "gallon" and "gill" to have been thus derived. Its meaning became enlarged to include any kind of measuring, literally or figuratively. The instrument used to do the measuring came to be called "the gage." Among Operative Masons it was used to measure a stone for cutting to the required "twenty-four-inch gage" is such a measuring rod or stick marked off into twenty-four inches.
Gates of the Temple - The walls of the enclosure of Temple of Solomon had a gate at each points of the compass. The three gates on the east, west, and the south. These gates are symbols of the sun, rising in the east, reaching its zenith in the south, and setting in the west.
Geometry- It is unfortunate that for most men schoolroom drudgery has robbed this beautiful word of its poetry. The Greek geo (in compounds) was earth, land; metron was measure. The original geometer was a landmeasurer, a surveyor, but his methods became broadened and applied to many other kinds of problems, so that at last his craft
became a portion of the art of mathematics. Geometry, that branch of mathematics which deals with figures in space, is associated in every Mason's mind with the immortal Euclid, who figures 50 prominently in all the ancient Masonic manuscripts. It achieved its great place in Freemasonry because of its constant and prime importance in the builders' art. Symbolically speaking geometry (to it the Letter G originally referred), consists of all those fixed principles and laws of morality and of thought to which a right char-acter and a true mind adjust themselves.
Glory and Beauty of the Day - Daylight, the supreme glory and example of the goodness and glory of God.
Golden Bowl Be Broken - The rule of conduct in man's relation to
and treatment of his fellow man as spoken
Grammer - The Greeks had
graphein, to write, or draw (from this we have graphic, engrave, etc.) ; gramma was that which was written or drawn. Grammar now refers only to the skeletonal framework of language, its parts of speech and their combinations, hut formerly it included all forms of learning based' on language, such as rhetoric and what is now taught in the schools as English; by the time our Monitor was written, however, grammar and rhetoric had become differentiated, nevertheless the Monitorial portion of the Second Degree makes it plain that a Fellow Craft is expected to be a literate man, knowing something of the arts of language in both speaking and writing. In interpreting the Second Degree this wide meaning of "grammar must be kept in mind.
Grand- Grandis in the Latin
meant great, large, awesome, especially in the sense of imposing; it was afterwards applied to the aged, the ripe in experience, an application easy enough to understand when one recalls the reverence paid by the Romans to seniority, long experi-ence, etc. this latter meaning appears in our grandfather, grandmother, grandsire, etc. In English the word developed in two directions, one toward that which is great, large, awe-in-spiring, as in "grandeur," the other toward dignity, exalted power. Our own use of the term in "Grand" Lodge, "Grand" East, "Grand" Master, harks back to the latter of the two usages. The head of the Craft is called "Grand"' Master because he is its most exalted official.
Great Porch - The vestibule at the entrance into the Temple of Solomon.
Great and Sacred Name - Any name that is used as a title of Deity are sacred and all names of our God are to be uttered with profound reverence and never blasphemously.
Great White Throne - The pure and glorious throne of God. Before it, every knee must bow.
Grip - Grip, grope, grab, grasp, gripe came the same roots. The Anglo Saxon gripe meant to clutch, to lay hold of, to seize, to grasp strongly. A grip means to clasp another's hand firmly; it differs from a mere hand. clasp, which may be a meaningless formality. in that it is done earnestly, and for a purpose—for what purpose in our fraternal system every Mason knows. A grip should be giver. as if one meant it; half of its meaning lies in the way it is done.
Ground Floor of the Lodge - Mount Moriah, the site of Solomon's Temple is symbolically referred to as the "ground floor of the Lodge."
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Harodim - The title given to the overseers and princes appointed by Solomon to supervise the workmen preparing the material and in the building of the Temple.
Heaven - A Heaven of bliss beyond the grave. The "foreign country" in which the Master Mason seeks wages is Heaven.
Hills and Valleys - The hilltop or mountaintop is a symbol of "Holiness unto the Lord."
High Twelve - The Latin nonus referred to the ninth hour of the day, that is, nine hours after sunrise. In the Medieval church it referred to the middle hour between midday and sunset, that is, about three o'clock P.M. In the course ot time it came to refer to any part of the middle of the day, and finally to twelve o'clock. The origin of our "High Twelve" is uncertain, but it is probable that it goes back to a time before "noon" was generally used for twelve o'clock; the "high" doubtless refers to the sun, which at that time was at its highest point in the sky.p
Holiness - The absolute and superlative Holiness of God in symbols, attitudes and words.
Hoodwink - "Hood" goes back to old German and Anglo Saxon, in which it referred to head covering, as in hat, hood, helmet, etc.; "wink," in the same languages, meant to close the eyes,
"wench," "wince," etc., being similarly derived. A hoodwink was therefore a headdress designed to cover the eyes. The popular use of the word is believed to go back to the old sport of falconry, once so popular, in which the falcon had a hood over its eyes until ready to strike at its prey.p
Holy of Holies - The ancient Tabernacle erected by Moses at Mount Sinai was divided into two compartments or rooms. At the west end was the Most Holy Place constructed of a perfect cube fifteen feet in all dimensions
Holy Place - The east end of the Tabernacle containing the great Candlestick, the table for shewbread and the altar of incense with its censer and snuffers.
House Not Made With Hands - The eternal dwelling place of God and the resurrected bodies of the redeemed in the life beyond.
Human Senses - The natural faculties and endowments of man.
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Immortality - Man's immortality, the fundamental tenet.
Ineffable Name - It is
believed that the correct pronunciation of the most sacred name of God has been
lost. In it believed, however, that this Ineffable Name is held by the Messiah until the Day of Resurrection.
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