Another word that is heard by Masons, but probably by very few others:

Sere.  (Sounds like ‘sear’)

Recall these words from the lecture: ‘sinking into the sere and yellow leaf of old age’.  The word ‘sere’ entered the English language from the pen of William Shakespeare; in the play “MacBeth”, Act 5 Scene 3 “I have lived long enough: my way of life / Is fall’n into the sere, the yellow leaf: And that which should accompany old age…”.

In this sense ‘sere’ means the autumn of life.   For the Mason who studies the liberal arts, hearing the word ‘sere’ in our Ritual comes as a pleasant reminder of the value of education to polish and adorn the mind. 

All Masons should make a daily advancement in Masonic knowledge.

And here is a short video courtesy of Bro. Danny McLaughlin and ‘Squaring the Circle’.