Glossary of Masonic Terms
Plain-English definitions of the words you will meet in lodge and in the literature.
Short working definitions — for ceremonial context, see the Ritual Archive; for institutions, the Encyclopedia.
- Almoner
- The lodge officer charged with the care of sick or distressed members, widows and orphans — the Craft’s hand of charity, and this platform’s namesake.
- Apron
- The Mason’s badge of work, descended from the operative’s leather apron; its colours and emblems mark rank and jurisdiction.
- Ashlar (rough / perfect)
- The unworked and the finished stone — the candidate as he comes and as he hopes to become.
- Blue Lodge / Craft Lodge
- A lodge working the first three degrees, the foundation of all Freemasonry.
- Brother / Brethren
- The members’ mutual address — the lodge’s family grammar.
- Cable-tow
- Symbolic cord of the candidate; figuratively, the reach of one’s obligations.
- Charge
- A formal address of instruction delivered in ceremony.
- Cowan
- Old Scots word for an untrained intruder on the work — one without the word.
- Degree
- A ceremonial stage of membership: Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, Master Mason — with further degrees in appendant rites.
- Deacon
- Lodge officer who conducts candidates and carries communications.
- East / West / South
- The lodge’s symbolic geography: the Master in the East, Senior Warden in the West, Junior Warden in the South.
- Entered Apprentice
- The first degree; the new-made Mason.
- Fellow Craft
- The second degree; the journeyman, devoted to the liberal arts.
- Festive Board
- The ceremonial meal after lodge, with its toasts and songs.
- G.A.O.T.U.
- The Grand Architect of the Universe — the Craft’s inclusive designation for the Supreme Being.
- Grand Lodge / Grand Orient
- The governing body of lodges in a jurisdiction.
- Grip / Token
- Modes of recognition between Masons.
- Hele
- (pron. “hail”) To keep or conceal — old English, preserved in the obligations.
- Initiation
- The ceremony of receiving the first degree.
- Installation
- The annual ceremony placing the new Master in the chair; see its music.
- Landmarks
- The unalterable fundamentals of the Craft — variously enumerated, jealously kept.
- Lewis
- The son of a Mason; also the operative lifting-device that is his emblem.
- Lodge
- Both the assembly of Masons and the room where they meet.
- Master (Worshipful)
- The elected head of a lodge for the year. “Worshipful” is old English for “honourable”.
- Master Mason
- The third degree — full membership of the Craft.
- Mosaic Pavement
- The chequered floor — life’s mingled good and evil; see Symbolism.
- Obligation
- The solemn promise of each degree — fidelity, discretion, charity.
- Operative / Speculative
- Working stonemasons / moral Masons — the Craft’s two ages.
- Orient
- The East; in some traditions, the seat or title of a Grand body.
- Passing / Raising
- Receiving the second / third degree.
- Past Master
- One who has served as Master of a lodge.
- Profane
- Simply, one outside the lodge (Latin pro fano, before the temple) — no insult intended.
- Regular / Recognized
- Conforming to the standards a Grand Lodge requires for mutual recognition.
- Rite
- A coherent system of degrees and ceremonies — Scottish, York, French, Swedish, Schröder and many more; hundreds are profiled in the Encyclopedia.
- Summons
- The formal notice calling members to a meeting.
- Temple
- The lodge building; symbolically, the unfinished temple each Mason builds in himself.
- Tracing Board
- The painted emblem-boards used to deliver the degree lectures.
- Tyler / Tiler
- The officer guarding the door with a drawn sword — the lodge’s outer guard.
- Wardens
- The Senior and Junior Wardens, the Master’s two principal officers.
- Working Tools
- The instruments presented in each degree with their moral meanings.