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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 membership; 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."
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.
ALARM
The Latin for weapons, or arms, was arma. Our
"art" and "article" came from the same root, art meaning something
originally made by the use of the arms, hands and fingers. The English
"alarm" goes back directly to the Italian alle
arme, and ultimately to the Latin ad
arma so that "alarm" means "to arms, signifying
that something has happened of possible danger. A knock at the Lodge door is
so named because it calls for alertness, lest the wrong man be permitted to
enter.
ALLEGORY
The Greeks called a place of public assembly agora; from this they built the
word agoreuein, meaning speak, in the sense of
ad-dressing 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.
ALTAR
Alt, in Latin, referred to height, preserved in our "altitude;" this root
appeared in altare, literally meaning a "high
place." In primitive religion it was a common practice to make sacrifices,
or conduct worship, on the top of a hill, or high platform, so that "altar"
came to be applied to any stone, post, platform, or other elevation used for
such purposes. In. the Lodge the altar is the most holy place.
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, nap-kin; it apparently was derived from the
Latin map pa, 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.
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 con-nection
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.
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. Inasmuch as Masonry requires of a petitioner
that he believe in God the atheist is automatically excluded from the
Fraternity.
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.
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.
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 only when it is made sacred. A "ceremony" may be
individual, or may involve only two per-sons; 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.
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.
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 gloves 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.
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.
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.
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.
DEDICATION
The Latin dedicatus was a participial form of
dedicare, the latter having the meaning of
declare, devote, proclaim - the root from which "diction" comes. To dedicate
a building means by public ceremony to declare it built for some certain
purpose. Dedication and consecration are closely allied in meaning, but the
latter is more religious in its purposes.
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.
DEPUTATION
A group of words such as compute, repute, depute sprang from the Latin
putare, which meant (among other things) to
estimate, to think, to count among. From this came
deputatus, to select, to appoint. The idea was that from a number of
persons one was told off for a special duty, hence our word "deputy." A
deputation is an instrument appointing some man or group of men to act for
others officially. Our Deputy Grand Master is thus set apart to act in the
place of the Grand Master on need, and a District Deputy Grand Master is so
called because he is appointed or told off by the Grand Master to act as his
personal representative in a District.
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.
DISCALCEATION
'While this is not as familiar to Masons as the preceding words, it should
come into more popular use because it is the technical name to describe an
important element in the ceremony of initiation.
Calceare was the Latin for shoe, calceatus
meant shod. When united with the prefix dis,
meaning apart, or asunder, our discalceate was
originated, the obvious meaning of which is the removal of one's shoes, as
suggested in the familiar Bible passage, "Put off thy shoes from off thy
feet, for the place whereon thou standest is
holy ground." The ceremonial removal of the shoes is properly called the
"rite of discalceation."
DISPENSATION
Pendere was the Latin word for a weight, the
root from which came many English words, notably pendent, expend, spend,
dispense, etc. With the prefix dis, explained in
the preceding paragraph, dispendere meant to
weigh out, to pay off, to expend. From this came
dispensatus, meaning to manage, to regulate, to distribute. In our
usage a dispensation is a written instrument by which authority is made over
to a group of brethren to form a Lodge.
DOTAGE
This is not a very beautiful word but it is interesting. It first came into
existence among the early English, Dutch, German, and Scandinavian peoples,
generally in the form dotten,
dutten, meaning to nod with drowsiness, to nap.
Since it was old people who most frequently sat nodding in their chairs it
became associated with old age. "An old man in his dotage" is one who nods
or prattles like a sleepy child, and whose faculties have begun to decay
through old age. Old age is never a bar to Masonic membership unless it has
reached this stage.
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.
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, meaniiig 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.
ESOTERIC
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.
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.
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.
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.
GRAMMAR
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
Craftis 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.
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.
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.
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.
INITIATION
The Latin initium means beginning, as in our initial”;
initiatus, the participle from the verb initiare,
referred to any act incident to the beginning or introduction of a thing.
The word came widely into use in mysteries and sacred rites, whence it has
come into our 4Masonic nomenclature. Back of it, as used by us, is the
picture of birth, so that the Masonic initiation means that a candidate has
been born into the Masonic life, making the same kind of beginning therein
that a babe makes when born into the world.
INSTALLATION
Stallum was the Late Latin for place, or seat,
or proper position, which meaning is preserved in our English “stall.” To
“install” therefore means that one has been placed in his seat or
station—the "in" meaning here the same as in English. A Masonic installation
is a ceremony by which an elected officer is officially placed in the seat
to which his brethren have elected him.
LABOR
The Latin labor meant toil, work, the put-ting forth of effort; it appears
to be akin to robur, or strength, preserved in
our “robust.” While labor and work are used interchange-ably, the latter is
a more generic word, and admits of a much wider range of uses. Work may be
either hard or easy but labor is always hard; work is used of all sorts of
effort; labor refers generally to muscular effort, followed by fatigue. When
labor is kept up unremittingly it is toil; and when toil is uninteresting,
uninspiring, and poorly paid it is drudgery. When working, one’s ambition is
to succeed with it; when laboring, one looks forward to resting from it;
hence, it is from labor that we seek refreshment, not from work.
LANDMARK
In the early Anglo Saxon, German, or Scandinavian languages the noun “land”
meant the same as in modern English, although as a verb it meant “come to
land,” a meaning reflected in our custom of saying a man lands from a ship,
etc. “Mark” is found in almost all European languages, and derives from the
Latin margo, edge, boundary, whence our margin,
mark, and cognate terms. A “landmark” is some mark, line or object to
indicate a boundary. The landmarks of Masonry are those principles by which
the Craft is bounded, that is, marked off from all other societies and
associations and with-out which it would lose its identity.
LEGEND
The Greeks had legein, speak; the
Latins legere, read;
from these we have legend, lecture, etc. In the early Christian church the
legend was the Scripture selection read in a church service; later the term
became ap-plied to stories about the lives of
the saints, especially to their wonders and miracles. The famous “Golden
Legend,” a collection of such stories, was one of the most popular books of
the Middle Ages. Legend’, as now used, is a story without historical
foundations but told in the form of history, hence our “Legend of the Third
Degree,” a narrative in dramatic form that Masons have long understood to be
non-historical.
LEVEL
In Latin libra was a balance, the root of our
libration, equilibrium; libella was the
diminutive form of the same word, and from it has come our level, an
instrument by which a balance is proved, or by which may be detected the
horizontal plane. It is closely as-sociated in
use with the plumb, by which a line perpendicular to the horizontal is
proved. The level is that on which there are no in-equalities, hence in
Masonry it is correctly used’ as a symbol of equality. “We meet upon the
level” because Masonic rights, duties, and privileges are the same for all
members with-out distinction.
LIGHT
A candidate is “brought to light.” “Let there be light” is the motto of the
Craft. It is one of the key words of Masonry. It is very ancient, harking
back to the Sanskrit ruc, meaning shine. The
Greeks had luk, preserved in many English words,
especially such as have leuco in their make-up,
as in “leucocyte,” a white blood corpuscle. The
Latins had luc or
lux in various forms, whence our light, lucid,
luminous, illumine, lunar, lightning, etc. The word means bright, clear,
shining, and is associated in its use with the sun, moon, fire, etc. By an
inevitable asso-ciation the word came into
metaphorical use to mean the coming of truth and knowledge into the mind.
‘When a candidate ceases to be ignorant of Masonry, when through initiation
the truths of Masonry have found entrance into his mind, he is said to be
“enlightened” in the Masonic sense.
LIBERTINE
Liber was the Latin for “free,” as in our
liberty, liberal, etc. When the Romans gave a slave his freedom he was
called libertus, so that in Roman history a
libertine was a freed-man. In theology a libertine came to mean one who
holds loose views, a freethinker; in morality, a
licenticus person, one who flouts moral laws. Whether the early
Masons used “libertine” to mean a “freethinker” or a licentious man, is a
point that has never been decided’; in practice, they probably used it in
both senses.
LODGE
This word comes from the Old French, English and Medieval Latin, and meant
gen-erally a hut, a cottage, a gallery, a
covered way, etc.; our “lobby” had the same beginning. How the Operative
Masons came to employ the term, and just what they meant by it, has never
been determined; they had a symbolic Lodge, their building was a Lodge, the
group of members was a Lodge, an as-sembly of
Masons was a Lodge, and often times the whole body of Masons was called a
Lodge. In our own usage the word has three technical meanings; the place
where Masons meet, the assembly of the brethren duly congregated for labor,
and a piece of furniture.
MASON
This is a word from the Middle Ages, with an uncertain origin. The old
Gothic maitan meant to hew, or cut, and it is
supposed the word carried that general meaning through Medieval Latin,
English, German, and in the Scandinavian languages. If at first it was used
only of a stone-cutter, it came later to mean a builder. Why the Operatives
were called “Freemasons” is still an unsolved puzzle; the most likely view
is that they were a society of builders free to move from one place to
another in contrast to the gild Masons who were confined in their labors to
one community. In our Fraternity a Mason is a builder of manhood and
brotherhood.
MASTER
The Latin root mag had the general meaning of
great—as in “magnitude”; it was the source of the Latin magister, head,
chief, principal, the word of which “magistrate” was made. During the Middle
Ages it fell into use as a conventional title applied to persons in superior
rank, preserved in our own familiar “mister,” always written “Mr”,
a colloquial form of “master.” Also it came to be used’ of a man who had
overcome the difficulties in learning an art, thereby proving himself to be
greater than his task, as when it is said of an artist who has overcome all
the obstacles and difficulties of painting, “He is a master.” A Master Mason
is so called because be has proved himself capable of mastering the work;
also because he belongs to a Degree so named.
MONITOR
The Latin monere meant to warn; it was the root
of our admonish, admonition, etc.; a monitor was the man who did the
warning. The term became widely used in early school systems of the senior
pupils in a class whose duty it was to instruct his juniors; from this it
passed to include the book, the blackboard and other instruments used by him
in his teachings. Our use of it carries this last mean-ing;
the Masonic Monitor is a book for teaching a candidate the exoteric work.
MOSAIC
This word has nothing to do with Moses. Its root was the Greek
mousa, a muse, sug-gesting
something artistic. The same root appears in our “museum,” literally a place
where artistic work is exhibited. Through the Latin it came into modern
languages and during the Middle Ages became narrowed down to mean a pattern
formed by small pieces of inlay, a form of decorative work much in vogue
during the time of the Opera-tive Masons. Our
“mosaic pavement is so called because it consists of an inlay pattern, small
black and white squares alternating to suggest day and night.
MYSTERY
This word is used in Masonry in two senses entirely different; indeed,
though spelled and pronounced the same, they are really two words. “Mystery”
in the sense of strange, unknown, weird, secret, hails from the Greek, .in
which muein meant to close the eyes, lips and
ears; from this came musterion, a secret
ceremony or doctrine, appearing in Latin as mysterium.
The word mystery, thus derived, means secrecy,
hiddenness, and is properly used of the esoteric elements in
Masonry. But in the phrase “arts, parts and mysteries” the word is from the
Latin ministerium, having the meaning of trade,
art, craft, occupation, etc., preserved in the familiar
metier from the French, often used as an English word, and the much
more familiar “minister,” “ministry,” etc.; in this sense -- the sense most
often used in our Craft the “mysteries of Masonry” are its workings, just as
the mysteries of Operative Masonry were its trade secrets known only to
those trained and skilled in the building arts. In the latter of the two
senses “mystery” and “master” (see above) are closely affiliated in origin,
a master being one who has become completely skilled in mysteries.
MYSTIC
In the Greek, muster was one who had been initiated. Originally, so Jane
Harrison believes, the root word referred to pollution; but inasmuch as the
Greek mysteries had for their aim the removal of moral pollution, the word
became generally associated with the mysteries themselves, and at last was
used to signify a man who had gone through them. Mystic in our own use of
it, as in “Mystic Tie,” refers not to the mysterious in Freemasonry, or to
any mysticism in it, but to the fact of our being a secret society,
practicing initiaton.
OBLIGATION
Obligate and oblige are sister words, deriving from the same Latin root, ob,
a prefix meaning before, or about; and ligare,
meaning bind, as in our ligament. An obligation is a tie, or pledge, or
bond’ by which a man is tied to his fellows, or gives his word to perform
certain duties. Accordingly we have obliging, referring to one who is
willing to bind himself to do something for you, obligatory, etc. The
obligation is the tie, or bond, itself; in Masonry a formal and voluntary
pledge on the candidate’s part by virtue of which he is accepted as a
responsible member of the family of Masons.
OBLONG
This has long been a puzzle word in Masonic nomenclature. How, it is asked,
can a square be oblong, when a square is equal on all its sides? The answer
is that in this connection “square” is used in the sense of rectangle; the
angles are squared, not the sides. Oblong is derived from ob, near, or
before, and longus, long; that is, it means
something approximately long, so that the main axis is much longer than the
others, as a slender leaf, a shaft, etc. An “oblong square is a rectangle of
which two opposite sides are much longer than the other two. The Lodge
symbolically is an oblong square in this sense.
OPERATIVE
We distinguish Operative Masons, builders of the Middle Ages, founders of
Masonry, from Spectulative Masons, present
members of the Fraternity, using the builders’ tools as emblems and symbols.
The Latin for toil, or work, was opus, still used’ in that form in English
to signify a musical or literary achievement. Opus was the root of
operari, to work, whence we have our operate,
operative, operation, opera, operator, and many others. The Operative Mason
was one who toiled at building in the plain, literal sense of the word.
“Speculative” will be explained farther down.
ORNAMENT
Ornare was the Latin verb meaning to adorn, to
equip, of which the noun was ama-men turn,
trappings, embellishment, furniture, etc., from which was derived our
“adorn-ment” and “ornament.” In church usage
“ornaments” was the name given to all the equipment used in the services of
divine worship. We speak of the mosaic pavement, the indent-ed
tessel, and blazing star as “ornaments of the
Lodge;” whether the term was used by Lodges originally because they were
considered to be adornments, or because they were part of the Lodge
equipment it is impos-sible to say, though the
latter alternative ap-pears to be the more
likely.
PASSWORD
The Latin passus meant pace, step, track,
passage; it contains the picture of a path, road, aisle, or door through
which one can make his way, hence our “pass,” derived from it. From it also
we have our word “pace.” A password is any agreed word or counter-sign that
permits one to pass through an en-trance or passage otherwise closed.
PENALTY
It is significant that our “penal” derives from the Latin for pain,
paena, the root of our penance, penalty,
penitence, penitentiary. punish, primitive, pine, and a circle of similar
English words. It has the meaning of pain inflicted for the purpose of
correction, discipline, or protecting society, never the
inflic-tion of pain for its own sake. Our own
penalties are symbolical in form, their language being derived from early
English forms of punishment for heresy and treason.
PILLAR
The Latin pila was a pile,—such as a pile under
a house—a pier, a pillar, or a mole,— the last named a massive stonework
enclosing a harbor. In ancient times pillars were used for all manner of
religious and symbolical purposes, as when Jacob erected a pillar at a
grave, or Solomon set up two great pillars— the prototype of ours—on the
Porch before his Temple. (See in connection with this the notes on “column”
given above.)
PLUMB
Plumbum was the Latin for lead, and was used
also of a scourge with a blob of lead tied to it, of a line with a lead ball
at its end for testing perpendicularity, etc., the source of our plumb,
plumber, plunge, plump, plumbago, plummet, etc.
A plumb-line is accordIngly a line, or cord,
with a piece of lead at the bottom to pull it taut, used to test vertical
walls with the line of gravity, hence, by a simple expansion of reference,
an emblem of uprightness.
Up means up, right means straight; an upright man is one who stands straight
up and down, doesn’t bend or wabble, has no
crooks in him, like a good solid wall that won’t cave in
urnkr pressure.
PROFANE
This has a technical meaning in Masonry, nevertheless it adheres closely to
the original significance of the word. Fanum was
the Latin for temple; pro meant “before,” in the sense of “outside of.” It
is the picture of man standing on the outside, not permitted to enter. It
has tlfis same sense in Masonry; the “profane”
are those men and women who stand outside of Masonry. The word here, of
course, has nothing to do with profanity in the sense of sacrilegious
language.
QUALIFICATION
Qualify comes from the same word as quality. The root of it is the Latin
qua, preserved in our “what.” The quality of a thing was its
whatness, the stuff of which it was made, its
nature. The fy in “qualify” is from
facere, to make, so that “qualify” means that a
thing is made of the required stuff; and qualification means the act by
which a thing is made of the required nature, or is declared to have it. The
candidate for the Degrees of Masonry must possess certain characteristics in
his nature; must be a man of lawful age, etc., and these are his
qualifications.
QUARRY
The Latin quadratum was a square; originally,
quadrate and quarry meant the same. The word became applied’ to the pit from
which rock is hewn because the principal task of workmen therein was to cut,
or square, the stones; hence, literally a quarry is a place where
stone-squaring is done. In Masonry “quarry” sometimes refers to the rock
pits from which Solomon’s workmen hewed out the stones for his Temple; at
other times it refers to the various arenas of Masonic activities, as when
it is said of an active Lodge member that “he is a faithful laborer in the
quarry.”
RAISE
In the Anglo Saxon arisan was used of any motion
up or down, but in English it became used only of an upward motion, as in
arise, rising, raise, rear, etc. Raise means to hoist, or carry, or lift, a
body upward in space. There is no need to explain to a Mason why it is said
of a candidate who has completed the Third Degree that he has been “raised,”
or why the climactic ceremony in that Degree is described as “raising.” One
is “initiated” an Entered Apprentice, “passed” a
Fellowcraft, “raised” a Master Mason.
REFRESHMENT
Friscus, or frescus,
in the Latin had the meaning of new, fresh, recent; the re meant again; so
that refresh means to renew, to make over, to undo the ravages of use and
time, in Shakespeare’s phrase, “to knit up the raveled sleeve of care.” To
“pass from labor to refreshment” is to find rest and recreation so as to
undo the wearing effects of toil, as when a laborer knocks off at noon to
eat his lunch and have a rest.
REGULAR
The Latin rex, king, sovereign, ruler, was a
root from which many words have sprung, regal, royal, etc.; the
Latins themselves had
regula, or rule, and regere, to rule or
govern. From this source has come our “regular.” It means a rule established
on legitimate authority. In Masonry “regular” is applied to those rules
which have been established by Grand Lodges and Grand Masters. A “regular
Lodge” is one that conforms to Grand Lodge requirements; a “regular Mason”
is the mem-ber of such a Lodge who conforms to
its laws and by-laws.
RIGHT
This, one of the noblest words in the English language, is also one of the
oldest, being found in the very ancient Sanskrit in the form
raj meaning rule. It appeared in Latin as rectus,
meaning direct, straight, a rule,— rule being used in the sense of our
ruler, a device for drawing a line which is the shortest distance between
two points. Such words as regent, rail, direct, rector, rectify, rule, came
from this Latin term. Right means “straight,” as in a “right line,” a “right
angle,” etc.; through a familiar metaphorical application it has come to
stand for conduct in conform-ity with moral law.
Our “rights” are those privileges which strict law allows to us. A
“horizontal” is a right line on the level; a perpendicular” is a right line
up and down, or at right angles to the horizontal. “Right” and “regular,”
discussed just above, origi-nally were close
together in meaning.
RITUAL
A ritual is a system of rites. “Rite,” like “right,” is very old; it has
been traced to the if Sanskrit riti, meaning
usage, which in turn was derived from ri,
meaning flow, suggesting the regular current of river. In Latin this became
ritus meaning in general a custom, more
particularly a religious custom, or usage. In taking over this word the
church applied it to the acts in solemn religious services which had to be
performed according to strict rules. In Masonry the ritual is the prescribed
set of ceremonies used for the purpose of initiation. It should be noted
that a set of ceremonies does not become a ritual until it has been
prescribed by some official authority.
SEAL
This, like our words “sign” and “insignia,” is derived from the Latin
sigillum, diminu-tive
of signum, meaning a mark, or sign. It is some
kind of device affixed to a document in place of a signature or in close
connection with a signature for the purpose of showing that the document is
regular or official. A document bearing the seal of a Lodge shows that it is
officially issued by the Lodge, and not by some irresponsible person or
persons. The word is also used of the tool by means of which the device is
stamped into wax, or whatever similar material may be used for the purpose.
SECRECY
From Se, apart, and cernere, separate, the
Latins had secretum,
suggesting something separated from other things, apart from com-mon
kndwledge, hidden, covered, isolated, hence
“secrecy.” There is a fundamental difference between “secret” and “hidden,”
far whereas the latter may mean that nobody knows where a thing is, nothing
can be secret e without at least one person knowing it. The secrets of
Freemasonry are known to all Masons, therefore are not hidden; they are
secrets only in the sense that they are not known to profanes. A similar
word is “occult,” which means a thing naturally secret, one, as it were,
that secretes itself, so that few can know about it. See also the paragraphs
on “clandestine” and “mystery” in the preceding pages. There is also another
less familiar word in Masonry meaning hidden, covered up, concealed, secret;
it is pronounced “hail” but is spelled “hele.”
SECRETARY
The present use of this word has departed widely from its original meaning.
The Latin secretus meant secret, private;
secretarium was a conclave, a caucus, a council
behind closed doors, consequently a secretarius
was some very confidential officer, and was used of a secretary in our
sense, of a notary, a scribe, etc. Since the handling of
correspon-dence and the keeping of records is
usually a confidential service the man who does it has come to be called a
secretary. The secretary of a Lodge cares for all its correspondence and its
records.
SIGN
This comes from the Latin signum, a word which
appears in a dozen or more English words, as signature, signet, signify,
consign, countersign, resign, etc. Where a seal is used principally on
documents and for the purpose of showing them to be official, sign is used
much more variously and widely; it is some kind of gesture, device, mark, or
design which indicates something, or points to something, and which often
has a meaning known only to the initiated. Masonic signs are gestures that
convey a meaning which only Masons understand, and which most frequently are
used for purposes of recognition.
SPECULATIVE
The Latin specere meant to see, to look about;
specula was a watchtower, so called because from it one could look about
over a wide territory. It came to be used metaphorically of the mental habit
of noting all the aspects of a subject; also, as applied to
theo-retical knowledge as opposed to practical
skill. “Speculative Masonry” was knowledge of the science, or theory, of
building; “Operative Masonry,” trained skill in putting that knowledge into
practice. ‘When Operative Masonry was dropped out of the Craft in the
eighteenth century, only the speculative ele-ments
remained and these became the basis of our present Fraternity. It is for
this reason that we continue to describe it as Speculative Masonry. The word
has nothing to do with philosophical speculation, or with theorizing merely
for its own sake.
SQUARE
As noted in the paragraph on “quarry” the Latin quad
ratum was a square. Quatuor meant “four;”
from it we have square, four, quad, quadrangle, squadron, etc. In geometry I
a square is a four-sided straight-lined figure having all its sides equal
and all its angles right angles; and since early carpenters and Masons had
to use an instrument for proving the angles to be right, they fell into the
habit of calling that instrument a square. In Ma-sonry
the square is used in at least three distinct senses; as a sharp instrument,
as a working tool, and as a symbol, the last named when used with the
compasses on the Holy Bible. As a symbol it refers to the earth, for so long
a time supposed to be square in shape; as a working tool, it refers to all
those forces by means of which one prepares himself to fit into his own
proper place in the Brotherhood, like a Perfect Ashlar
in a wall.
STEWARD
This came into general use through the church, in which it was adopted as
the name for an important official and also for an important theological
doctrine; the doctrine of stewardship. The word itself had a peculiar
origin. In Anglo Saxon stigo was a sty or place
in which domestic animals were kept; I weard
(see “warden” on following page) was a guard, or keeper; therefore the
steward was the keeper of the cattle pens. Its meaning became enlarged to
include the duties of general over-seer, one who is in charge of a household
or estate for another; and still more generally, one who provides for the
needs for food, money, and supplies. In the history of Ma-sonry
the office of steward has performed a variety of functions; the caring of
funds, distribution of charity, preparing for banquets and similar services.
SUBLIME
Sublimis, in Latin, referred to something high,
lofty, exalted, like a city set on top of a hill, or an eagle’s nest atop
some lonely crag. It refers to that which is eminent, of superlative degree,
moral grandeur, spiritual exaltation. Inasmuch as the Third Degree is at the
top of the system of Ancient Craft Masonry, it is known as “The Sublime
Degree.
SUMMONS
Like the word monitor, explained some pages back, summons is derived from
the Latin term of which the verb was monere,
meaning to warn, or to remind, as in “admonish ;“ the “sum” is the combining
form of sub, under, or privy to, in the secret of, as in the old phrase “sub
rosa.” A summons is an official call sent out by
persons in authority to some person acknowledging that authority to appear
at some place, or to perform some duty; in other words a person who is “on
the inside,” who is a member, is admonished by his superiors, and must obey
under penalty. The duty involved and the penalty attached distinguishes a
summons from a mere invita-tion. A Lodge, Grand
Lodge, or some official issues a summons; a fellow Mason not in official
position makes a sign; a Mason is under obligation to respond to either, if
it be due, official, or regular.
SYMBOL
It is interesting to compare this word with “emblem” with which it is so
often confused. The Greek symbolon was a mark,
or sign, or token, or tally; it is derived from sun,
togeth-er, and ballein, put, or throw,
from which we have ball, ballistics, etc. Symbolon
indicated two things put together, thrown together, or matched together. If,
for example, the numeral 9 is matched to a pile of marbles, one to one, the
9 is a symbol of the number of marbles. From this came the custom of calling
a symbol some object, device, design, picture, etc., used not for its own
sake, but for the purpose of referring to some other, and per-haps very
different, thing with which it has been associated. It is any visible,
audible, or tangible object used to typify some idea, or truth, or quality,
as when a wedding ring is made the symbol of marriage, the square is made
the symbol of the earth, or the cross is made the symbol of Christianity,
the crescent of Mohammedanism, etc.
TEMPLE
The Greeks had temenos, a sacred enclosure, a
plot of ground marked off to be a holy place; the
Latins had templum, a
consecreated place. A temple is a building set
apart because it is holy, dedicated to religious uses. It has its place in
Masonry largely because of the prominence of Solomon’s Temple in the Ritual.
It is interesting to note that in Masonic nomenclature the ideal life, here
and hereafter, is described metaphorically as a temple, one of a thousand
examples of the extent to which Freemasonry is saturated with religious
language and emotions.
TILER
Also spelled “tyler.” In the Latin
tegere (from which came “thatch”) meant cover,
roof; tegulae were the tiles, pieces, slabs,
used for roof-coverings. A tiler, therefore, is
one who makes, or fastens on, tiles. Since in Operative Masonry the
tiler was the workman who closed the building
in, and hid its interior from outside view, the guardian of the entrance to
the Lodge was figuratively called by this name. It was once supposed that “tiler”
came from the French tailleur, a cutter, a hewer
(from whence we have “tailor”), and it was accordingly spelled “tyler;”
that, however, is incorrect, “tiler” being the
correct spelling.
TOKEN
This is from the Greek deigma.. meaning example,
or proof—the origin of the word “teach,” and in its
orginal sense had much the same meaning as sign and symbol, for it
was an ob5ect used as the sign of something else. It is generally used,
however, in the sense of a pledge or of an object that proves something. In
our usage a token is something that exhibits, or shows, or proves that we
are Masons—the grip of recognition, for example.
VOUCH
This harks back to the Latin vocare, to call, to
summon, and is the origin of voice, vouchsafe, vocation (in the sense of a
“calling”), vocal, etc. To vouch is to raise one s voice in testimony, to
bear witness, to affirm, to call to witness. If we vouch for a brother we
raise the voice to testify that we know him to be a regular Mason.
WAGES
Wage, of which wages is the collective plural, remotely descended from the
Latin vas, having the meaning of pledge, security, pawn, or a promise to pay
backed up by security. After it entered into modem languages it had a
peculiar history; it became “gage,” a pledge or pawn, appearing in our
engage, disengage, etc., but having no relation with gage, one of our
Working Tools; “wager" in the sense of a bet; in another context it became
“wed,” the act of marrying, so called because of the pledges given; and
“wage” in the sense of compensation for service given. An “allowance” is a
one-sided form of payment, depending on the will of the giver; a “stipend”
is a fixed sum, usually nominal, and is supposed to be paid as per a
permanent arrangement; a “salary” (from sal, or
salt, the old pay given soldiers) is an amount fixed by contract, and
estimated over a relatively long period of time, year or month; “wages” are
paid to laborers over short periods of time, or at the completion of the
required task. In Speculative Masonry the Master Mason symbolically receives
“wages,” rather than salary, because they represent the rewards that come to
him as rapidly as he does his work; and, as the etymology of the word
suggests, they are certain, something one may bank on.
WARDEN
“Ward” is of Medieval origin, having been used in early English, French,
German, etc., always in the sense of to guard something, a meaning preserved
in warden, guard, guardian, wary, ware, ward, etc. A warden is guardian of
the west gate of the Temple, the Junior Warden of the south gate.
WARRANT
This also derives from the same source, and carries the general meaning of
“to de-fend,” “to guard.” Warrant is sometimes used as a pledge of security;
in Masonry it is a document officially issued to authorize the formation of
a Lodge, and consequently acts as the pledge, or security, for the future
activity of it.
WORK
The idea behind this noble old word is one that has powerfully appealed to
all European peoples and is found in nearly every Euro-pean
language. The Greek ergon meant work, organ on.
was the instrument by which work was done; from this source we have energy,
organ, erg, and it appears in combination in such words as metallurgy. To
work means to put forth effort in order to accomplish something; play is
also a putting forth of effort, but in that case the effort is its own end,
and is done for its own sake. Work has an end beyond itself. The official
ritual of the Lodge is called the Standard Work; it came to be so called by
analogy, the ritual of Speculative Masonry corresponding to the daily labor
of the Operative Masons.
WORSHIPFUL
The Anglo Saxon worth was something honorable, deserving of respect, a
meaning that shows up in worth, the value of anything, also in worship,
which is deference paid to some object or person of great importance.
Worshipful describes something full of the qualities calling for such
deference. It was used in Medieval times of one’s parents, officers of the
state, prelates, etc., signifying that such persons were of high station or
entitled to deferential respect. It is so used in our term, “Worshipful
Master.”
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