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Watchword

 [woch-wurd]   Origin

watch·word

   [woch-wurd]
noun
1.
a word or short phrase to be communicated, on challenge, to a sentinel or guard; password or countersign.
2.
a word or phrase expressive of a principle or rule of action; slogan: Conservation has been our watchword.
3.
a rallying cry of a party, club, team, etc.
Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English; see watch, word

Synonyms
1, 2. shibboleth. 3. motto.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Watchword is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
watchword (ˈwɒtʃˌwɜːd)
 
—n
1.  another word for password
2.  a rallying cry or slogan

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

watchword
c.1400, "password," from watch (n.) in the military sense of "period of standing guard duty" + word. In the sense of "motto, slogan" it dates from 1738.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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