A word or short phrase that a person, a company, or a group repeats as the thing that guides them — the one idea they want everyone to keep in mind.

A word or short phrase一個字或一句短短的話 that a person, a company, or a group repeats一個人、一家公司、或一個團體反覆掛在嘴邊 as the thing that guides them把它當成引導自己的東西 the one idea they want everyone to keep in mind也就是他們希望每個人都記在心裡的那個想法

'Safety is the watchword on this site' means: whatever else you do, think about safety first. It is usually a single word or a very few words, and it usually appears in the pattern 'X is the watchword' or 'the watchword is X'.

'Safety is the watchword on this site'像'Safety is the watchword on this site' means意思是 whatever else you do不管你在做什麼別的事 think about safety first都要先想到安全 It is usually a single word or a very few words它通常是一個字或幾個字 and it usually appears in the pattern而且常常會用這個句型 'X is the watchword' or 'the watchword is X''X is the watchword'或'the watchword is X'

The feel of it is formal and a bit old-fashioned, common in speeches, editorials, and company statements rather than in daily talk; a friend would say 'the rule here is' or 'the main thing is'.

The feel of it is formal and a bit old-fashioned它給人的感覺是正式、有點老派 common in speeches, editorials, and company statements常出現在演講、社論、和公司聲明裡 rather than in daily talk而不是日常對話 a friend would say 'the rule here is'朋友之間會說'the rule here is'（這裡的規矩是） or 'the main thing is'或'the main thing is'（重點是）

Its history explains the shape: a watchword was originally the secret word you gave to the guard on watch to prove you belonged — a password. That older meaning is gone from everyday English, but it leaves behind the sense of a word that is passed around a group and shared by all of them.

Its history explains the shape它的歷史說明了這個字的樣子 a watchword was originally the secret word watchword原本是一個暗號 you gave to the guard on watch你給站崗守衛的 to prove you belonged用來證明你是自己人 a password也就是一個通關密語 That older meaning is gone from everyday English這個比較舊的意思在日常英文裡已經消失了 but it leaves behind the sense但留下了這種感覺 of a word that is passed around a group and shared by all of them一個在團體裡傳來傳去、大家共有的字

Close relatives are 'slogan' (which is for selling and persuading, and can be a whole sentence) and 'motto' (which is fixed and belongs officially to a school or family). A watchword is looser than a motto and more serious than a slogan.

Close relatives are 'slogan'關係比較近的字有'slogan'（口號） which is for selling and persuading是用來推銷和說服人的 and can be a whole sentence可以是完整的一句話 and 'motto'還有'motto'（座右銘） which is fixed and belongs officially to a school or family是固定的、正式屬於一個學校或家庭的 A watchword is looser than a motto watchword比motto鬆散 and more serious than a slogan但比slogan更嚴肅