Watchword
['wɒtʃwɜːd] or ['wɑtʃwɝd]
Definition
(n.) A word given to sentinels, and to such as have occasion to visit the guards, used as a signal by which a friend is known from an enemy, or a person who has a right to pass the watch from one who has not; a countersign; a password.
(n.) A sentiment or motto; esp., one used as a rallying cry or a signal for action.
Typist: Theodore
Synonyms and Synonymous
n. Countersign, password.
Edited by Gail
Examples
- That's the watchword down the Yard. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- And for Arnold this is vital, seeing that the watchword ) of the culture he proclaims is Know Thyself. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
- Plenty of fresh air, light, and pure water are the watchwords against disease. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- Surveillance, espionage,--these were her watchwords. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
Edited by Cecilia