secret society

n. An organization, such as a lodge, that requires its members to conceal certain activities, such as its rites of initiation, from outsiders.

secret society

n a society or organization that conceals its rites, activities, etc, from those who are not members

se′cret soci′ety

n. an organization, as a fraternal society, whose members share secret rites and promise to assist each other.

Thesaurus

Noun

secret society - a society that conceals its activities from nonmembersassociation - a formal organization of people or groups of people; "he joined the Modern Language Association"Freemasonry, Masonry - Freemasons collectivelyNational Volunteers Association, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh - an all-male organization begun in 1925 to foster nationalism in India's Hindus

Translations

GeheimbundGeheimgesellschaft

secret society

secret society,

organization of initiated persons whose members, purposes, and rituals are kept secret. Human groups throughout history have maintained secret societies. The ceremonies of initiation into such a society typically begin with an oath pledging secrecy as to all proceedings of the society, ascribing special obligations to its members, and assenting to penalties for violation of the oath. This is followed by tests of the candidate's worthiness, including physical courage and even painful mutilations. A dominant theme in the initiation trials of most of these societies is the symbolism of death and rebirth. After the candidate has passed the prescribed tests, the secret knowledge is transmitted to him. Secret societies have served as schools in which the elders instruct the young men in the ways of their society. These initiations are reminiscent of coming-of-age ceremonies. Women have comparable societies, but theirs have never matched those of men in number. (A notable exception was the Hung Society of China, a secret society of women that lasted over 1,500 years.) The mysteriesmysteries,
in Greek and Roman religion, some important secret cults. The conventional religions of both Greeks and Romans were alike in consisting principally of propitiation and prayers for the good of the city-state, the tribe, or the family, and only secondarily of the person.
..... Click the link for more information. , or secret rites and doctrines, of the Egyptians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, and other ancient peoples were transmitted solely through secret societies. In modern civilizations secret societies such as FreemasonryFreemasonry,
teachings and practices of the secret fraternal order officially known as the Free and Accepted Masons, or Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Organizational Structure
..... Click the link for more information. are numerous. They usually offer various types of mutual aid for their members; there are, for example, special obligations to members who are ill and to the families of deceased members. Some historic secret societies, such as the Bavarian Illuminati, have been the object of massive paranoid speculation, accused of conspiring for world political domination; but the model of the secret society, with its emphasis on absolute commitment and secret truths that set the initiate apart, has been used to explain various political groups from terrorists to Cold Warriors. Some secret societies, e.g., the MafiaMafia
, name given to a number of organized groups of Sicilian brigands in the 19th and 20th cent. Unlike the Camorra in Naples, the Mafia had no hierarchic organization; each group operated on its own.
..... Click the link for more information. and the Ku Klux KlanKu Klux Klan
, designation mainly given to two distinct secret societies that played a part in American history, although other less important groups have also used the name.
..... Click the link for more information. , under the guise of fraternal benevolence, have defended the interests of their members by violence. See also fraternal ordersfraternal orders,
organizations whose members are usually bound by oath and who make extensive use of secret ritual in the conduct of their meetings. Most fraternal orders are limited to members of one sex, although some include both men and women.
..... Click the link for more information. , fraternityfraternity and sorority,
in American colleges, a student society formed for social purposes, into which members are initiated by invitation and occasionally by a period of trial known as hazing.
..... Click the link for more information. .

Bibliography

See J. H. Lepper, Famous Secret Societies (1932); A. Daraul, A History of Secret Societies (1962); J. M. Roberts, The Mythology of the Secret Societies (1972).

secret society

secret society

secret society

se′cret soci′ety

secret society

secret society,

Bibliography

secret society

Words related to secret society

noun a society that conceals its activities from nonmembers

Related Words