A Dictionary Of Masonic
Words And Phrases
Aaron - The brother and assistant of Moses. The first high priest under Mosaic dispensation.
Aaron's Rod -The staff carried by Aaron as a token of his office. It later bloomed.
Abhorrence of Evil - Required of all true Masons.
Abif- An honorary title given to Hiram, the Tyrian builder.
Abraham - Abraham, the founder of the Hebrew race, whose name was changed by God.
Acacia - The Shittim tree. The wood was used for the furniture of the Temple.
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.
Adam - The name given to the first man created by God.
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."
Adonai - The pre-incarnate Son of God.
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.
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.
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.
Apron - A pure white lambskin apron is the "badge of a Freemason."
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.
Ark of the Covenant - The Ark of the Covenant was a chest which held the tablets of stone on which the Ten Commandments were engraved.
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.
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.
Atheism - The denial of the existence of a Supreme Deity.
Audi, Vide, Tace - The Latin worded Masonic motto "Hear, See, Be Silent."
Babbler - Talking without meaning, vague and senseless talk.
Backbiting - Slandering a brother in his absence.
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
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.
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.
Busybodies - Meddling persons.
Cable Tow - A cable tow is a rope used for leading. The covenant which binds all Masons.
Cabul - Sterile, barren and displeasing.
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.
Chambers - King Solomon's Temple was a series of chambers built on the north, south and west sides of the Temple.
Charge - Charges are given to the candidate as he advances from one Degree to another.
Charity - one of the three great cardinal virtues, Faith, Hope and Love. Chasity - Remaining pure in sexual relations.
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.
Clods of the Valley - The sweetness of rest for the dead of the Lord.
Clothing - It has always been the custom among all peoples for designated officers, leaders, and people of rank to wear special regalia or a particular type of clothing which indicates a person's official position. Based on this custom and upon Biblical examples, and for reasons of dignity and beauty, Masons follow this practice.
Column - Three columns signify the supports of a Lodge; Wisdom, Strength and Beauty.
Communication - A Masonic Lodge meeting is called a "communication".
Compasses - The compasses are emblems of virtue.
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 - An intruder, and an eavesdropper.
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.
Darkness to Light - The teaching of Freemasonry bring a man from darkness to light.
David - David was the youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem who become the successor of Saul as King of Israel.
Day - A period of twenty-four hours. The period between sunrise and sunset.
Deacons - The Senior and Junior Deacons maintain surveillance of the Lodge, introduce visitors, and act as proxy for the Worshipful Master on occasion.
Death - The sleep after a person dies until the resurrection of a spiritual body.
Decalogue - The Ten Commandments.
Desires Shall Fail - As men grow older they are no longer concerned about the carnal and secular things of the earth.
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..
Dew of Hermon - The dews of Mount Hermon, were sources of water for irrigation and agricultural growth.
Distressed Worthy Brother - Masons go to the aid of a distressed worthy Brother.
Doors Shall Be Shut - The expression, "The doors shall be shut in the street when the sound of the grinding is low" refers to the decrepitude of old age.
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.
Dust to Dust (or Dust To Earth) - Man's body was made from the earth and must return to dust.
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.
Eternal Life - The faith and belief in eternal life beyond the grave.
Evergreen -- A symbol of the immortality of the soul.
Faithful Servant - One who is diligent in his stewardship, dutiful to his master and loyal in the face of temptation and trial.
Fatherhood of Good - God made mankind all of one blood and that God is, by virtue of His creation of man and of His goodness to man, man's Father.
Fears Shall Be In The Way - The failing of courage of old age.
Flight to Joppa - Jonah's flight to Joppa in his effort to escape a Divinely-entrusted responsibility and service for God.
Foreign Country - Heaven is the "foreign country" into which Master Masons travel.
Fortitude - The virtue of true manhood for Masons.
Foundation - The basis of building character and in mens's vocations.
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."
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.
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.
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 by the Saviour.
Grasshopper Shall Be A Burden - The weakness accompanying old age.
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.
Ground Floor of the Lodge - Mount Moriah, the site of Solomon's Temple is symbolically referred to as the "ground floor of the Lodge."
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."
Holiness - The absolute and superlative Holiness of God in symbols, attitudes and words.
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 contained the Ark of the Covenant.
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 HandsThe 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.
I Am That I Am - The title of Jehovah God given to Moses at the burning bush. In its original Hebrew form, the "self-existent, independent, unsearchable One."
Immortality - Man's immortality, the fundamental tenet.
Indwelling of God - That God deigns to dwell among his people and with the hearts of the pure and the good.
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.
Inner Door - Those who earnestly knock to be admitted to the lessons of Freemasonry are opened by the proper knock at the Inner Door of the Lodge.
Innocence - From time immemorial, the lamb has been regarded as an emblem of innocence.
Interment - The grave, the the resting place for bodies of the dead.
Iron Tools - no iron tool of any kind was employed in the building of the Temple in order thatquiet and reverence might prevail.
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