Meaning & use
Cowan
Last updated
Originally a Scottish term for a mason who builds dry-stone walls without proper training or apprenticeship; in Freemasonry, a person who is not a legitimate member trying to pass as one.
See it in a sentence
The old guild records list fines levied against cowans caught working without proper training.
In Masonic ritual, a cowan is someone who attempts to gain entry to a lodge without initiation.
A note on using this word
The word entered Masonic vocabulary from its original Scottish stonemasonry sense, where a "cowan" lacked the skills of a properly trained mason.
Words with a similar meaning
intruderimpostor
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