Secret Society Glossary: Terms and Definitions

The vocabulary surrounding secret societies is specialized enough that even dedicated researchers occasionally trip over terms used differently by Freemasons, Odd Fellows, and collegiate societies — sometimes within the same sentence. This glossary defines the core terminology used across fraternal, esoteric, and political secret organizations in the United States, explains how those terms function in practice, and draws distinctions that matter when reading primary sources or evaluating membership decisions. The definitions here draw on documented usage in lodge constitutions, academic fraternal history, and publicly available ritual texts.

Definition and scope

A secret society, in the formal sense used by sociologists and historians, refers to any organization that restricts membership through selective admission and maintains at least some internal practices — rituals, passwords, signs, or governance structures — that are not disclosed to the general public. That definition, drawn from Georg Simmel's 1906 essay "The Sociology of Secrecy and of Secret Societies" (American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 11, No. 4), encompasses everything from Freemasonry's Grand Lodges to Skull and Bones at Yale.

The broader landscape of secret society terminology breaks into 4 functional categories: structural terms (describing how organizations are built), ritual terms (describing ceremonial practices), membership terms (describing who belongs and at what level), and symbolic terms (describing the signs and objects used in lodge work). Most disputes about what a term "really means" come from one society using a word that another society has defined differently — the word lodge, for instance, means the local chapter in Masonic usage but the building itself in colloquial speech.

The full scope of this site's coverage, including the historical and organizational context for these terms, is available at the main reference index.

How it works

Glossary terms in fraternal contexts are not informal nicknames — they are often defined precisely in founding charters, grand lodge constitutions, or ritual manuals. A selection of the most widely encountered terms, organized by functional category:

Structural Terms

  1. Grand Lodge — The governing body that supervises local lodges within a jurisdiction, typically a state. The United Grand Lodge of England, founded in 1717, is the oldest continuously operating Masonic grand lodge.
  2. Lodge — The local chapter unit of a fraternal organization. Lodges hold meetings, initiate candidates, and conduct ritual work.
  3. Chapter — In some orders (notably Royal Arch Masonry and college fraternities), the equivalent of a lodge at a subordinate or collegiate level.
  4. Subordinate body — Any local unit operating under the authority of a grand or supreme body.
  5. Jurisdiction — The geographic or organizational territory under a grand body's authority, most commonly a U.S. state.

Ritual Terms

  1. Degree — A formal stage of initiation conferring new knowledge, obligations, and recognition signs. Masonic Blue Lodge work consists of 3 degrees; Scottish Rite extends to 32 (or 33 for honorary members).
  2. Obligation — The oath or solemn promise taken at initiation, binding the member to the society's laws and secrecy requirements. (See oaths and pledges in secret societies for extended treatment.)
  3. Ballot — The formal vote on a candidate's admission. A single negative vote — called a "black ball" — can reject a petitioner in most traditional lodges.
  4. Proficiency — Demonstrated knowledge of a degree's catechetical questions and answers, required before advancement to the next degree.
  5. Ritual work — The scripted ceremonial proceedings of a lodge meeting, including floor work, passwords, and symbolic drama.

Membership Terms

  1. Candidate — A person who has applied for membership and been accepted for initiation but has not yet received a degree.
  2. Entered Apprentice — The first Masonic degree; the term dates to operative stonemason guild usage.
  3. Fellow Craft — The second Masonic degree.
  4. Master Mason — The third and foundational Masonic degree, completing Blue Lodge membership.
  5. Affiliate — A Mason in good standing who joins a lodge in a jurisdiction other than where originally initiated.
  6. Plural membership — Belonging to more than one lodge simultaneously, permitted in many (but not all) grand lodge jurisdictions.

Symbolic Terms

  1. Landmarks — Unwritten, foundational principles of a fraternal order considered too fundamental to alter. Masonic scholars have identified between 7 and 25 landmarks, depending on the authority consulted.
  2. Grip (or token) — A handshake exchanged between members to confirm membership at a given degree level.
  3. Word — A password associated with a specific degree, used as recognition between members.
  4. Sign — A physical gesture used as a recognition signal.
  5. Regalia — Ceremonial clothing and accessories worn during lodge meetings; aprons in Masonic usage, collars and jewels in many others.

Common scenarios

Understanding these terms becomes practically important in 3 recurring situations. First, when reading historical documents: a 19th-century newspaper account of an Odd Fellows "encampment" refers not to a camping trip but to a higher-degree branch of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows — a fact invisible without glossary knowledge. Second, when evaluating membership: a candidate who doesn't know that a "ballot" is secret and requires unanimity in many lodges may not understand why a petition was rejected without explanation. Third, when researching conspiracy theories: much popular confusion about secret society symbols and signs stems from treating symbolic terms as literal rather than ceremonial.

Decision boundaries

Not every organization that keeps some information private qualifies as a secret society in the formal sense. A corporation with proprietary processes is not a secret society. A private club with selective membership but no ritual structure sits at the boundary. The distinguishing markers are: the presence of formal initiation ritual, the use of recognition signs or passwords, and obligations of secrecy taken by members.

Two organizations that are frequently conflated illustrate this boundary clearly: a fraternal order (like the Elks or Knights of Columbus) emphasizes mutual benefit and community service alongside ritual, while an esoteric society (like the Rosicrucians) centers philosophical or spiritual transmission as its primary purpose. The fraternal vs. esoteric secret societies comparison develops this distinction in detail.

Terms applied loosely in popular culture — "illuminati," "cabal," "inner circle" — rarely map onto formal organizational vocabulary. When encountered in primary sources, they generally signal informal usage rather than defined institutional roles.

References

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