flag

1. A piece of cloth, usually rectangular, of distinctive color and design, used as a symbol, standard, signal, or emblem.
2. National or other allegiance, as symbolized by a flag: ships of the same flag.
3. A ship carrying the flag of an admiral; a flagship.
4. A marking device, such as a gummed strip of paper, attached to an object to attract attention or ease identification; a tab.
5. The masthead of a newspaper.
6. Music. A cross stroke that halves the value of a note to which it is added.
7. A distinctively shaped or marked tail, as of a dog or deer.
8. Computer Science. A variable or memory location that stores true-or-false, yes-or-no information.

1. To mark with a flag or flags for identification or ornamentation: flag a parade route; flagging parts of a manuscript for later review.
2. 1. To signal with or as if with a flag.
   2. To signal to stop: flag down a passing car.

[Origin unknown.]

(flăg)

[Middle English flagge, reed, of Scandinavian origin.]

(flăg)

1. To hang limply; droop.
2. To decline in vigor or strength: The conversation flagged.

[Possibly of Scandinavian origin, akin to Old Norse flögra, to flap about.]

(flăg)

[Middle English flagge, piece of turf, from Old Norse flaga, slab of stone.]

For more information on flag, visit Britannica.com.

A technical charting pattern that looks like a flag with a mast on either side. Flags result from price fluctuations within a narrow range and mark a consolidation before the previous move resumes. Likewise, "pennant" formations are usually treated like flag formations because they are very similar in appearance, tend to show up at the same place in an existing trend, and have the same volume and measuring criteria.

Investopedia Says:
Flags and pennants are among the most reliable of continuation patterns and only rarely produce a trend reversal. The only difference between the two patterns is that a flag resembles a parallelogram (or rectangle) marked by two parallel trend lines that tend to slope against the prevailing trend. The pennant, however, is identified by two converging trend lines and more horizontal which resembles a small symmetrical triangle. The important thing to remember is that they are both characterized by diminishing trade volume and though different, the measuring implications are the same for both patterns as demonstrated in the above illustration.

Related Links:
Here we pay some attention to the triangle, usually one of the first chart patterns that a novice technician learns. Continuation Patterns - Part 1
Take a closer look at flags and pennants, which show a very short pause in the trading activity of the prevailing trend. Continuation Patterns - Part 4
Capture quick profits with the powerful directional biases of these two patterns. Consolidation - Trade The Calm, Profit From The Storm

Technical chart pattern resembling a flag shaped like a parallelogram with masts on either side, showing a consolidation within a trend. It results from price fluctuations within a narrow range, both preceded and followed by sharp rises or declines. If the flag-the consolidation period-is preceded by a rise, it will usually be followed by a rise; a fall will follow a fall.

1. Notation placed on a hard-copy or computer file record that marks it for special handling or indicates that some action has occurred, such as selection of the record for a mailing test panel.

2. Title or logotype of a publication printed on the cover page, such as "M" for "the magazine of the civilized male."

3. Graphic device used on package labels and other promotional pieces to highlight a brief message such as "30¢ off regular price." Also called pointer.

noun

Fabric used especially as a symbol: banderole, banner, banneret, color (used in plural), ensign, jack, oriflamme, pennant, pennon, standard, streamer. See substitute.

verb

To communicate by means of such devices as lights or signs: semaphore, signal. See express, words.

verb

1. To become limp, as from loss of freshness: droop, sag, wilt. See better/worse.
2. To lose strength or power: decline, degenerate, deteriorate, fade, fail, languish, sink, wane, waste (away), weaken. Informal fizzle (out). Idioms: go downhill, hit the skids. See increase/decrease, strong/weak.

Definition: decline, fall off
Antonyms: do well, increase, rise, strengthen

[very common] A variable or quantity that can take on one of two values; a bit, particularly one that is used to indicate one of two outcomes or is used to control which of two things is to be done. “This flag controls whether to clear the screen before printing the message.” “The program status word contains several flag bits.” Used of humans analogously to bit. See also hidden flag, mode bit.

A flagstone.

Flags are the most pervasive symbol of allegiance in American society. While the American Stars and Stripes is the most ubiquitous symbol of loyalty, flags exist for every state in the union, each branch of the federal government and military, and for corporations, ethnic groups, religions, and almost any other social organization. Flags, especially the American flag, embody the core myths and ideals that undergird society. Unlike monuments, flags are often inexpensive, easily portable, and adaptable into myriad forms. Known popularly as Old Glory, the American flag inspires deep reverence and perceived attacks on it have provoked powerful passions. At the same time, the Stars and Stripes is used as a secular label on shopping bags, articles of clothing, car bumper stickers, and dozens of other consumer items and advertisements. Although displaying the flag epitomizes patriotism, Americans have long contested both flag standards and conceptions of its power. Myths surrounding the creation of the flag that are now hotly contested—including its invention by seamstress Betsy Ross—reflect the important place the Stars and Stripes holds in the imagination of the United States. This article will review the emergence of a national flag and discuss the many controversies that have attended it, with some attention paid to similar disputes over state flags.

Emergence of the Stars and Stripes

During the colonial era, Americans owed allegiance to the flags of England, France, and Spain. As the European powers gradually withdrew during the era of the American Revolution, the rebels of the thirteen colonies initially borrowed the flag of the imperialist East India Company as their own emblem. During the American Revolution the Americans used several flags, but none carried any national authority. American naval forces adapted the British Union Flag but added thirteen stripes in the field. Benjamin Franklin's cartoon of a snake divided into thirteen sections also was converted to cloth, with the motto, "Don't Tread on Me." Another reptilian image, used by the rebels after a naval victory, was a yellow cloth with a coiled rattlesnake about to strike. On 1 January 1776, General George Washington unveiled the Great Union Flag. This flag, with thirteen red and white stripes and incorporating the British Union flag, served without congressional sanction throughout the Revolutionary War and flew over Manhattan during the American occupation in the summer of 1776. But the American colonists were rebelling against the Crown, and soon rejected the Great Union Flag's crosses of St. Andrew and St. George. On 14 June 1777, the Continental Congress finally adopted a constellation of thirteen stars in place of the crosses, and thus invented the Stars and Stripes. Although the Great Union Flag fell into disuse, production of the Stars and Stripes was slow, and it was not generally available until nearly the end of the war. The new flag was most widely used at sea, where ships needed it to identify their nationality.

During the 1790s, as new states were added to the Union, there was some debate over the need to add stars. As the number of states grew to fifteen by 1794, one critic contended that in a hundred years there might be as many as one hundred stars, and that some permanence was needed. A second flag act, passed on 7 January 1794, fixed the number of stars at fifteen; Congress barely avoided passing legislation that would permanently restrict the number of stars. Congressmen at that time were far more concerned about the views of their voters than with building a national image; after all, there was no army or navy, and few Americans ever saw the Stars and Stripes. This change settled the matter for a quarter of a century.

Flag devotion increased after the siege of Fort Maher during the War of 1812 and the composition of the poem "The Star Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key. Using a tune borrowed from the anthem of the English Anacreontic Society (composed by John Stafford Smith), Key created a rousing patriotic song that reflected the seething anger of Americans toward the invading British. On 4 April 1818, Congress, recognizing that the old flag was now obsolete as it was five stars shy of the number of states, set the number of stripes at thirteen and agreed to add stars as needed. With this change, Congress subtly changed the meaning of the flag and recognized the march of manifest destiny across the continent. Even reflecting this imperialist consensus, the flag was not generally recognized or used. The U.S. Army had its own flag until 1834, when it determined to use the Stars and Stripes as the garrison flag and various banners of prescribed size for each regiment. Examination of textiles, china, glass, and wallpaper produced during the antebellum period shows use of the flag, but an even greater preference for the image of General Washington, personifications of Lady Liberty and Columbia, and the bald eagle. There was no full-time American flag manufacturer until the onset of the Mexican-American War in 1846.

Protecting the Flag from Challenges

The greatest challenge to the Stars and Stripes was the adoption of the red, white, and blue Stars and Bars by the seceding Confederate States during the Civil War. Variations of the Stars and Bars existed until the rebel congress passed a third Confederate Flag Act, just weeks before its final surrender in 1865. The Southern threat had the effect of making the Stars and Stripes into a popular flag, rather than one used solely by the government. After the surrender of the Stars and Stripes at Fort Sumter in the first battle of the Civil War, flags bloomed all across the North. The tattered remains of the flag from Fort Sumter were raised in a patriotic ceremony in New York City and were used as a recruiting device throughout the war. Popular magazines such as Harper's Weekly began publishing images of the Stars and Stripes weekly. Military songs such as the "Battle Cry of Freedom" became popular; that song used the line: "We'll rally around the flag, boys!" The war provoked angry outbursts against the flag as a symbol of the Union, and violators were harshly punished. One man, convicted of trampling on the flag, was hung in New Orleans, although President Abraham Lincoln removed the presiding general a few months later.

Patriotic fervor continued after the Civil War. With the rapid industrialization of the north and west, the Stars and Stripes was depicted in patriotic bunting and on advertising materials for bicycles, door mats, tobacconists, whiskey barrels, and porcelain spittoons and urinals. Such perceived abuses provoked the organization of the Flag Protection Movement (FPM), which flourished from 1895 to 1910. Lobbyists for the movement persuaded congressmen to back legislation describing the flag as sacred, and to attempt to ban advertising abuses. The FPM succeeded in transforming a secular symbol into a holy relic with the same status as the Bible and Christian Cross. A larger effect was to infuse patriotic loyalty to the flag with theocratic intolerance of other views. The beatification of the flag convinced its supporters—if not blacks, Mexicans, and Native Americans—that the banner had never waved in behalf of tyranny, injustice, and aggression. Backed by such racial and patriotic organizations as the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) and the Daughters of the Revolution (D.A.R.), the FPM built a national consensus that the flag needed to be protected by any means necessary. Beginning with the presidential campaign of William McKinley, politicians learned to wrap themselves in the flag and to insinuate that their opponents were not as patriotic, however doubtful such claims might be. During the campaign of 1896, a few scattered flag-desecration incidents spurred more discussion of laws to prevent them. Rather than focus on the egregious use of the flag by advertisers, legislators at the state and federal level aimed to stamp out the use of the flag by political protestors. A number of newspapers objected to this contradictory trend and pointed to vulgar political uses of the flag, such as tying a cardboard version of it to the horse that pulled a candidate's carriage. However, state courts generally upheld the use of the flag for commercial and political advertising.

Adoption of the FPM's tenets by super-patriotic groups soon led to use of the flag for racist and nativist purposes. Anti-immigrant rallies demanded that new arrivals to the United States "gather under its blessed folds." The G.A.R. began donating thousands of flags to schools and churches. Under such pressure, state lawmakers began passing bills mandating a daily salute to the flag before the start of the school day, and requiring that instruction in the salute be a part of the "melting pot schools" held for immigrants at major workplaces.

Reverence for the flag took on ugly manifestations in World War I: German Americans occasionally were forced to kiss the flag publicly, and a socialist rally in New York City in 1917 was disrupted when a mob forced marchers to kiss the flag. During the Red Scare following the war, the communist party flag was outlawed in numerous states. On 9 August 1925, the Ku Klux Klan advertised its devotion to the Stars and Stripes by marching down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., with a riotous display of American flags. Children who objected to the daily salute—including Jehovah's Witnesses, who objected on religious grounds—were expelled, an action upheld by the Supreme Court in June 1940 in the case of Minersville School District v. Gobitis. Though a number of newspapers criticized the court's decision, the case opened the way to further persecution of the children of Jehovah's Witnesses. The court affirmed what had become political reality by World War II: patriotism was synonymous with a ritualized obedience to the flag. This new patriotism was strengthened by the American military victory in World War II, with images like the raising of the American flag at Iwo Jima. Joseph Rosenthal's photographs of this event formed the basis for the Marine Court Memorial in Arlington, Virginia.

The Flag and Protest

Flags and protest became nationally visible during the Vietnam era of the 1960s and 1970s. As Americans gradually became aware of the huge contradictions between government claims and military reality, and the military draft became a specter for middle-class, college-age American males, protest against the war reached high levels of social antagonism. One means protestors used to demonstrate their anger against the war was by burning the American flag. In the year after a public flag burning in New York City's Central Park in April 1967, hundreds of laws outlawing such protests were proposed. These bills arose just as the issue of flag desecration had nearly lapsed into oblivion. The New York City incident and others like it around the country were manifestations of the immense anger many young Americans felt about the war; they defended their actions with claims of free speech for political activity. In one case, an African American defendant named Sidney Street was convicted for burning a flag in anger after the shooting of James Meredith during a civil rights march in Mississippi. The Flag Desecration Act was passed in 1968, making it illegal to mutilate, deface, or burn an American flag. Violators were subject to a fine of $1,000 or a year in jail. Fierce debate over the law and multiple prosecutions followed over the next few years, and the nation was badly divided over the issue. In a narrow decision, the Supreme Court struck down Street's conviction in 1969, based on the belief that he was convicted solely for his angry words. The Court's decision virtually nullified the Flag Desecration Act, upsetting the Court's minority, innumerable congressmen, and other political figures.

The Supreme Court revisited the flag issue only twice in the next twenty years, both times avoiding First Amendment issues by concentrating on vagaries in state laws. It did not squarely confront the issue of flag desecration until the great 1989–1990 flag burning controversy. These cases focused on the members of the Revolutionary Communist Party, a Maoist group, who had burned flags in Texas. The Court determined that flag burners were not necessarily disturbers of the peace, and that the flag did not stand for national unity nor was it a symbol of nationhood. The decision came at a time when (successful) presidential candidate George H. W. Bush was intimating that his opponent Michael Dukakis was less patriotic, and was vastly unpopular. Once elected, President Bush announced a drive for a constitutional amendment, a move seconded by former Dixie Democrat turned Republican, Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. Both political parties blasted the Supreme Court decision, but legal professionals, including the American Bar Association, and an overwhelming number of newspaper editorialists supported it. Undeterred, Congress passed a Flag Protection Act of 1989; it was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1995.

Controversy Over State Flags

While the American flag remained a lightning rod for controversy, state flags also came under criticism. Southern states integrated the Confederate Stars and Bars into their flags not in the Reconstruction period, but as an act of racial defiance during the Civil Rights era. A number of states adopted the symbol of the Confederacy into their state flags during the 1950s in response to the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, which outlawed public school segregation. In the late 1990s, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) called for a boycott of certain southern states until they removed the Stars and Bars from their flags. In South Carolina, the Confederate flag actually flew from the state capital. After several years of controversy and financial cost to the state, a compromise lowered the flag to the capital grounds, although visitors still had to walk past it. A similar boycott in Atlanta floundered, although Mississippi's governor, Robert Khyatt, attempted to remove the Confederate flag.

Contemporary Flag Displays

The terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 created a renewed, patriotic use of the flag. In the nation's grief, the tattered flag found on the site of the destroyed World Trade Center in New York City became a symbol of national unity, and was flown at innumerable gatherings in the aftermath of the attacks.

Bibliography

Boime, Albert. The Unveiling of the National Icons: A Plea for Patriotic Iconoclasm in a Nationalist Era. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.

Goldstein, Robert Justin. Burning the Flag: The Great 1989–1990 American Flag Desecration Controversy. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press, 1996.

———. Flag Burning and Free Speech: The Case of Texas v. Johnson. Lawrence: University of Kansas Press, 2000.

———. Saving Old Glory: The History of the American Flag Desecration Controversy. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1993.

Marvin, Carolyn, and David W. Ingle. Blood Sacrifice and the Nation: Totem Rituals and the American Flag. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Quaife, Milo Milton. The Flag of the United States. New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1942.

—Graham Russell Hodges

The official banner of a state or nation, often decorated with emblems or images that symbolize that state or nation.

On the U.S. flag, thirteen horizontal stripes (in red and white) represent the original thirteen colonies. The union is represented by fifty white stars, for the fifty states, arrayed on a field of blue. The U.S. flag is sometimes called the Stars and Stripes, Old Glory, or the Red, White, and Blue.

Titles 4 and 36 of the U.S. Code govern when, where, and how a flag may be displayed; how a flag may be used; and the proper means of disposing of a worn or soiled flag.

The Stars and Stripes became a popular and revered symbol of the United States during and after the Civil War. The Union's victory over the Confederacy and the return to a united country engendered patriotic fervor that was embodied in this symbol. When large numbers of immigrants entered the United States during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the flag was appropriated as a symbol of nationalism and patriotism by groups that felt that the cultures and customs of the new citizens threatened national unity and security. During the same period, as the advertising industry grew along with rapid industrialization, the flag was commonly used for commercial purposes. Flags or images of flags were used to promote everything from toilet paper to chewing gum. The flag was also appropriated for political gain. In 1896, Republican presidential candidate William McKinley's campaign manager distributed millions of flags for use at McKinley's rallies. The McKinley campaign also distributed buttons bearing the likeness of a flag, as symbols of support for the candidate.

The turn of the century saw the beginnings of a movement to protect and honor the flag. In the early part of the twentieth century, schools commonly required students to salute the flag each morning. Some students refused to participate in the salute, mainly on religious grounds. By 1940, at least two hundred public school students had been expelled in sixteen states for refusing to salute the flag. Many of them were Jehovah's Witnesses, who maintained that any salute to the national flag constituted an act of idolatry and thus violated their religious beliefs. The expulsion of two Jehovah's Witnesses was challenged in Minersville School District v. Gobitis, 310 U.S. 586, 60 S. Ct. 1010, 84 L. Ed. 1375 (1940). In Gobitis, a father sued to enjoin the school district from prohibiting his children's attendance at school after they refused to salute the flag. The U.S. district court granted the injunction allowing the children to return to school, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the district court. On appeal, the Supreme Court reversed the lower courts, holding that the school district's requirement that students salute the flag did not unconstitutionally infringe their religious freedoms. Writing for the 8-1 majority, Justice Felix Frankfurter said the salute requirement was constitutional as long as the students' "right to believe as they please, to win others to their way of belief, and their right to assemble in their chosen places of worship for the devotional ceremonies of their faith, are fully respected."

A few years later, the Court reversed its position, in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624, 63 S. Ct. 1178, 87 L. Ed. 1628 (1943), another challenge to mandatory flag salutes brought by members of Jehovah's Witnesses. In Barnette, the Court held that the school board could not require public school teachers and students to salute the flag. The Court said freedom of the press, of assembly, and of worship may be restricted "only to prevent grave and immediate danger to interests which the state may lawfully protect." In a companion case, Taylor v. Mississippi, 319 U.S. 583, 63 S. Ct. 1200, 87 L. Ed. 1600 (1943), the Court overturned the convictions of two people found guilty under a state statute that forbade the dissemination of information advocating refusal to salute, honor, or respect the flag. The Court held that the statute infringed freedom of speech and freedom of the press. The Barnette and Taylor decisions signaled the Court's emerging support for the notion that freedom of speech extends to symbolic as well as oral and written speech.

Also during the early 1900s, numerous state laws were passed prohibiting the desecration of the flag or the use of the flag in advertising. Some of these laws were struck down by state courts, but in 1905, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld their validity when it affirmed a lower court that had refused to strike down a Nebraska statute prohibiting the use of the flag in advertising (Halter v. Nebraska, 205 U.S. 34, 27 S. Ct. 419, 51 L. Ed. 696 [1907]). The Court said the flag, as an emblem of national authority and an object of patriotic fervor, should not be associated with personal or commercial interests. It held that the Nebraska statute did not infringe personal property rights or individual freedom.

For eighty years, Halter was cited as precedent in cases upholding flag desecration statutes, and these laws stood solidly intact through most of the twentieth century. The laws were invoked frequently to prosecute demonstrators who burned flags to protest U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Between 1965 and the end of the war in 1973, as many as one thousand arrests were made under various state laws prohibiting the desecration of the flag.

The Supreme Court addressed the constitutionality of flag desecration laws again in Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397, 109 S. Ct. 2533, 105 L. Ed. 2d 342 (1989). During the 1984 Republican National Convention, in Dallas, the defendant, Gregory Lee Johnson and one hundred others staged a protest outside the convention hall. During the demonstration, Johnson burned a U.S. flag. He was later arrested for violating the Texas Venerated Objects Law (Tex. Penal Code Ann. § 42.09(a)(3) [Vernon 1974]), which outlawed intentionally or knowingly desecrating a flag in a way that some observer might find seriously offensive. Johnson was convicted, but his conviction was overturned by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (Johnson, 755 S.W.2d 92 [Tex. Crim. App. 1988]). The state appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 5-4 decision, the Court affirmed the court of criminal appeals, holding that Johnson's conduct was expressive communication, a form of speech that requires First Amendment protection. Addressing Texas's claim that it had a legitimate interest in preventing a breach of the peace, the Court observed that no disturbance of the peace occurred or was threatened by Johnson's burning of the flag. The Court also held that the venerated objects statute was subject to the strictest constitutional scrutiny because it restricted Johnson's freedom of expression based on the content of the message he sought to convey. The Court concluded, "We do not consecrate the flag by punishing its desecration, for in doing so we dilute the freedom that this cherished emblem represents."

Many people were outraged by the Johnson decision. President George Bush denounced flag burning and proposed a constitutional amendment to overturn Johnson. The Senate and the House of Representatives passed numerous resolutions calling for a constitutional amendment outlawing flag burning. When it became clear that a constitutional amendment was probably not feasible, Congress instead passed the Flag Protection Act of 1989 (Pub. L. No. 101-131, 103 Stat. 777 [amending 18 U.S.C.A. § 700]), which made it a criminal offense to mutilate, deface, or burn a flag; place a flag on the floor or ground; or walk on a flag. The act did not mention the motive of the actor or the effect on observers of the act. With these omissions, the statute was designed to be content neutral and to pass the most stringent constitutional scrutiny.

The Flag Protection Act was tested in United States v. Eichman, 496 U.S. 310, 110 S. Ct. 2404, 110 L. Ed. 2d 287 (1990). In Eichman, the defendants were arrested for burning a flag in a protest. They moved to dismiss the charges on the ground that the Flag Protection Act violated the First Amendment. The district court dismissed the charges, and the government appealed directly to the Supreme Court. Affirming the district court's findings, the Court reasserted its position that flag burning is expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment. The Court conceded that the federal act differed from the Texas statute in Johnson because it did not appear to regulate the content of the message conveyed by the prohibited acts. Nonetheless, the Court held that the government's interest in preserving the flag as a national symbol was implicated under the act only when a person's treatment of the flag communicated a message that opposed the government's ideals. In effect, the act did regulate the content of protected speech. The Court concluded that the government may not prohibit the expression of an idea, no matter how disagreeable or offensive that idea may be.

The Eichman decision prompted President Bush to renew his efforts to gain passage of a constitutional amendment banning flag desecration. The measure came to a vote in June 1990. By then, public and political interest in the issue had dissipated, and many members of Congress who had voted for the Flag Preservation Act were unwilling to support a change to the Constitution. The proposed amendment failed by a vote of 254-177 in the House of Representatives and 58-42 in the Senate.

See: religion.

n.

A colored rag borne above troops and hoisted on forts and ships. It appears to serve the same purpose as certain signs that one sees and vacant lots in London -- "Rubbish may be shot here."

For other uses, see Flag (disambiguation).

The oldest national flag design still in use is Denmark's 13th-century Dannebrog.

A world map showing all national flags.

A flag is a piece of fabric, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used symbolically for signaling or identification. It is most commonly used to symbolize a country. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.

The first flags were used to assist military coordination on battlefields, and flags have since evolved into a general tool for rudimentary signaling and identification, especially in environments where communication is similarly challenging (such as the maritime environment where semaphore is used). National flags are potent patriotic symbols with varied wide-ranging interpretations, often including strong military associations due to their original and ongoing military uses. Flags are also used in messaging, advertising, or for other decorative purposes. The study of flags is known as vexillology, from the Latin vexillum meaning flag or banner.

Contents 1 History 2 National flags 2.1 Civil flags 2.2 War flags 2.3 International flags 3 Flags at sea 4 Shapes and designs 5 Religious flags 6 Linguistic flags 7 In sports 8 Swimming flags 9 Railway flags 10 In politics 11 Flagpoles 11.1 Design 12 Flags and communication 13 See also 14 References 15 External links

History

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The usage of flags spread from India and China, where they were almost certainly invented,^[1] to neighboring Burma, Siam, and southeastern Asia.^[1]

The Persians used Derafsh Kaviani as the flag, at the time of Achaemenian dynasty at 550–330 B.C. Afterwards it was used in different look by the late Sassanid era (224-651). It was also representative of the Sassanid state - Ērānshāhr, the "Kingdom of Iran" - and may so be considered to have been the first "national flag" of Iran.

Originally, the standards of the Roman legions were not flags, but symbols such as the eagle of Augustus Caesar's Xth legion; this graphic of the eagle would be placed on a staff for the standard-bearer to hold up during battle. But a military unit from Dacia had for a standard a dragon with a flexible tail which would move in the wind^{[citation needed]}; the legions copied this, and eventually all the legions had physically flexible standards–the modern-day flag^{[citation needed]}.

During the Middle Ages, flags were used for a variety of purposes including: identification of members of nobility, guilds, cities, religious worship, and for use during battles. In battle, flags were used by military companies for identification on the field and relaying of strategic instructions. Though not always, flags could identify individual leaders: in Europe, monarchs and knights; in Japan, the samurai; in China, the generals under the imperial army; and in Mexico, the Aztec alliances.

From the era of sailing vessels onwards, it has been customary (and later a legal requirement) for ships to carry flags designating their nationality;^[2] these flags eventually evolved into the national flags and maritime flags of today. Flags also became the preferred means of communications at sea, resulting in various systems of flag signals; see, International maritime signal flags.

As European knights were replaced by centralized armies, flags became the means to identify not just nationalities but also individual military units. Flags became objects to be captured or defended. Eventually these flags posed too much of a practical danger to those carrying them, and by World War I these were withdrawn from the battlefields, and have since been used only at ceremonial occasions.

National flags

Main article: National flag

The Dutch flag is the oldest tricolor

The Flag of Iran

Flags at half-staff outside Central Plaza, Hong Kong, after the Sichuan Earthquake. The Flag of Saudi Arabia is exempted.

One of the most popular uses of a flag is to symbolize a nation or country. Some national flags have been particularly inspirational to other nations, countries, or subnational entities in the design of their own flags. Some prominent examples include:

• The flag of Denmark is the oldest state flag still in use. This flag, called the Dannebrog, inspired the cross design of the other Nordic countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and regional Scandinavian flags for the Faroe Islands, Åland, Scania and Bornholm, as well as flags for the non-Scandinavian Shetland and Orkney.
• The Union Flag (Union Jack) of the United Kingdom is the most commonly used. British colonies typically flew a flag based on one of the ensigns based on this flag, and many former colonies have retained the design to acknowledge their cultural history. Examples: Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Tuvalu, and also the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Ontario and British Columbia, and the American state of Hawaii; see commons:Flags based on British ensigns.
• The Tricolour of The Netherlands is the oldest tricolor, first appearing in 1572 as the Prince's Flag in orange–white–blue. Soon the more famous red–white–blue began appearing — it is however unknown why, though many stories are known. After 1630 the red–white–blue was the most commonly seen flag. The Dutch Tricolor has inspired^{[citation needed]} many flags but most notably those of Russia, India, New York City, South Africa (the 1928-94 flag), and France, which spread the tricolor concept even further. The Flag of the Netherlands is also the only flag in the world that is adapted for some uses, when the occasion has a connection to the royal house of the Netherlands an orange ribbon is added.

• The national flag of France, the Tricolore was designed in 1794. As a forerunner of revolution, France's tricolour flag style has been adopted by other nations. Examples: Italy, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ireland, Haiti, Romania, Mexico.
• The flag of the United States, also nicknamed The Stars and Stripes or Old Glory. In the same way that nations looked to France for inspiration, many countries were also inspired by the American Revolution, which they felt was symbolized in this flag. Examples: Liberia, Chile, Malaysia, Uruguay, and the French region of Brittany.
• The flag of Russia, the source for the Pan-Slavic colors adopted by many Slavic states and peoples as their symbols. Examples: Slovakia, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bulgaria (with green replacing blue).
• The original tricolor Flag of Iran, the source for the Pan-Iranian colors Green, White and Red adopted by many Indo-Iranian or Aryan states and peoples as their symbols. Examples: Tajikistan, Kurdistan, Republic of Ararat, Talysh-Mughan. Some of Iran's non-Iranian neighboring countries also adopted these colors see Kuwait and Oman.
• Ethiopia was seen as a model by emerging African states of the 1950s and 1960s, as it was one of the oldest independent states in Africa. Accordingly, its flag became the source of the Pan-African colors, or "Rasta colors" to the ill-informed. Examples: Togo, Senegal, Ghana, Mali.
• The flag of Turkey, which was the flag of the Ottoman Empire, has been an inspiration for the flag designs of many other Muslim nations. During the time of the Ottomans the crescent began to be associated with Islam and this is reflected on the flags of Algeria, Azerbaijan, Comoros, Malaysia, Mauritania, Pakistan and of Tunisia.
• The Pan-Arab colors, green, white, red and black, are derived from the flag of the Great Arab Revolt as seen on the flags of Jordan, Kuwait, Sudan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara, Egypt, Iraq, Yemen and Palestine.
• The Soviet flag, with its golden symbols of the hammer and sickle on a red field, was an inspiration to flags of other communist states, such as East Germany, People's Republic of China, Vietnam, Angola, Afghanistan and Mozambique.
• The flag of Venezuela, created by Francisco de Miranda to represent the independence movement in Venezuela that later gave birth to the "Gran Colombia", inspired the individual flags of Colombia and Ecuador, both sharing three bands of color and three of them (Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela) sharing the yellow, blue and red.
• The flag of Argentina, created by Manuel Belgrano during the war of independence, was the inspiration for the United Provinces of Central America's flag, which in turn was the origin for the flags of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.

National flag designs are often used to signify nationality in other forms, such as flag patches.

Civil flags

Main article: Civil flag

A civil flag is a version of the national flag that is flown by civilians on non-government installations or craft. The use of civil flags was more common in the past, in order to denote buildings or ships that were not manned by the military. In some countries the civil flag is the same as the war flag or state flag, but without the coat of arms, such as in the case of Spain, and in others it's an alteration of the war flag.

War flags

Main article: War flag

Standing for the UK's Royal Air Force, the Ensign of the RAF displays the RAF roundel.

Several countries (including the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union) have had unique flags flown by their armed forces, rather than the national flag.

Other countries' armed forces (such as those of the United States or Switzerland) use their standard national flag. The Philippines' armed forces may use their standard national flag, but during times of war the flag is turned upside down - the only known case where an upside down national flag signifies a state of war (and not merely distress.) These are also considered war flags, though the terminology only applies to the flag's military usage.

Large versions of the war flag flown on the warships of countries' navies are known as battle ensigns. In war waving a white flag indicates surrender.

International flags

Among international flags are the Flag of the United Nations, the Olympic flag and the World Flag.

Flags at sea

Main article: Maritime flag

The international maritime signal flag Delta (letter D).

Flags are particularly important at sea, where they can mean the difference between life and death, and consequently where the rules and regulations for the flying of flags are strictly enforced. A national flag flown at sea is known as an ensign. A courteous, peaceable merchant ship or yacht customarily flies its ensign (in the usual ensign position), together with the flag of whatever nation it is currently visiting at the mast (known as a courtesy flag). To fly one's ensign alone in foreign waters, a foreign port or in the face of a foreign warship traditionally indicates a willingness to fight, with cannon, for the right to do so. As of 2009, this custom is still taken seriously by many naval and port authorities and is readily enforced in many parts of the world by boarding, confiscation and other civil penalties.

In some countries yacht ensigns are different from merchant ensigns in order to signal that the yacht is not carrying cargo that requires a customs declaration. Carrying commercial cargo on a boat with a yacht ensign is deemed to be smuggling in many jurisdictions.

There is a system of international maritime signal flags for numerals and letters of the alphabet. Each flag or pennant has a specific meaning when flown individually.

As well, semaphore flags can be used to communicate on an ad hoc basis from ship to ship over short distances.

Shapes and designs

Main article: Gallery of flags by design

The flag of Nepal, the only national flag that is not rectangular.

Flags are usually rectangular in shape (often in the ratio 2:3, 1:2, or 3:5), but may be of any shape or size that is practical for flying, including square, triangular, or swallow tailed. A more unusual flag shape is that of the flag of Nepal, which is in the shape of two stacked triangles.

Many flags are dyed through and through to be inexpensive to manufacture, such that the reverse side is the mirror image of the obverse (front) side. This presents two possibilities:

1. If the design is symmetrical in an axis parallel to the flag pole, obverse and reverse will be identical despite the mirror-reversal, such as the Indian Flag or Canadian Flag
2. If not, the obverse and reverse will present two variants of the same design, one with the hoist on the left (usually considered the obverse side, see flag illustrations), the other with the hoist on the right (usually considered the reverse side of the flag). This is very common and usually not disturbing if there is no text in the design. See also US reverse side flag.

Some complex flag designs are not intended for through and through implementation, requiring separate obverse and reverse sides if made correctly. In these cases there is a design element (usually text) which is not symmetric and should be read in the same direction, regardless of whether the hoist is to the viewer's left or right. These cases can be divided into two types:

1. The same (asymmetric) design may be duplicated on both sides. Such flags can be manufactured by creating two identical through and through flags and then sewing them back to back, though this can affect the resulting combination's responsiveness to the wind. Depictions of such flags may be marked with the symbol , indicating the reverse is congruent to (rather than a mirror image of) the obverse.
2. Rarely, the reverse design may differ, in whole or in part, from that of the obverse. Examples are the flag of Paraguay, the flag of Oregon, and the historical flag of the Soviet Union. Depictions of such flags may be marked with the symbol .

See also: Flags whose reverse differs from the obverse

The flag of Kiribati, a banner of arms.

Common designs on flags include crosses, stripes, and divisions of the surface, or field, into bands or quarters — patterns and principles mainly derived from heraldry. A heraldic coat of arms may also be flown as a banner of arms, as is done on both the state flag of Maryland and the flag of Kiribati.

The flag of Libya, which consists of a rectangular field of green, is the only national flag using a single color and no design or insignia.

Colors are normally described with common names, such as "red", but may be further specified using colorimetry.

The largest flag, as adjudicated by Guinness World Records, is an 18,847 m² (202,870 sq ft) flag of Israel made by Filipina Grace Galindez-Gupana and unfurled at Masada Airfield in November 2007.^[3][4] This flag plus 3 other gigantic national flags and 180 smaller flags of other countries were later sewn together by Gupana's multinational team to form the world's largest banner, covering an area of 54,451 m² (586,110 sq ft).^[5]

Religious flags

See also: Religion in national symbols

Jain – Five-Colored Flag

Buddhist Flag

Flags can play many different roles in religion. In Buddhism, prayer flags are used, usually in sets of five differently colored flags. Many national flags and other flags include religious symbols such as the cross, the crescent, or a reference to a patron saint. Flags are also adopted by religious groups and flags such as the Jain flag and the Christian flag are used to represent a whole religion.

Linguistic flags

Flag of La Francophonie

Flag of Hispanicity

Flag of Esperanto

As languages rarely have a flag designed to represent them^[6], it is a common practice, though unofficial, to use national flags to identify them. Examples of this use include:

• representing language skills of an individual, like a staff member of a company
• displaying available languages on a multilingual website or software.

Though this can be done in an uncontroversial manner in some cases, this can easily lead to some problems for certain languages:

• languages generating language dispute, such as Romanian and Moldavian which some consider two different languages; and
• languages spoken in more than one country, such as English, Arabic, French, German, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian or Spanish.

In this second case, common solutions include symbolising these languages by:

• the flag of the country where the language originated
• the flag of the country having the largest number of native speakers
• a mixed flag of the both (when this is not the same)
• the flag of the country most identified with that language in a specific region (e.g. Portuguese Language: Flag of Portugal in Europe and Flag of Brazil in South America)

Thus, on the Internet, it is most common to see the English language associated to the flag of the United Kingdom, but sometimes to the flag of England, the flag of the United States or a US-UK mixed flag, usually divided diagonally.

In sports

Flags flown at a car race.

Because of their ease of signaling and identification, flags are often used in sports.

• In football (soccer), linesmen carry small flags along the touch lines. They use the flags to indicate to the referee potential infringements of the laws, or who is entitled to possession of the ball that has gone out of the field of play, or, most famously, raising the flag to indicate an offside offence. Officials called touch judges use flags for similar purposes in both codes of rugby.
• In American and Canadian football, referees use flags to indicate that a foul has been committed in game play. The phrase used for such an indication is flag on the play. The flag itself is a small, weighted handkerchief, tossed on the field at the approximate point of the infraction; the intent is usually to sort out the details after the current play from scrimmage has concluded. In American football, the flag is usually yellow; in Canadian football, it is usually red.
• In yacht racing, flags are used to communicate information from the race committee boat to the racers. Different flags hoisted from the committee boat may communicate a false start, changes in the course, a canceled race, or other important information. Racing boats themselves may also use flags to symbolize a protest or distress. The flags are often part of the nautical alphabetic system of International maritime signal flags, in which 26 different flags designate the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet.
• In auto and motorcycle racing, racing flags are used to communicate with drivers. Most famously, a checkered flag of black and white squares indicates the end of the race, and victory for the leader. A yellow flag is used to indicate caution requiring slow speed and a red flag requires racers to stop immediately. A black flag is used to indicate penalties.

Main article: racing flags

• In addition, fans of almost all sports wave flags in the stands to indicate their support for the participants. Many sports teams have their own flags, and, in individual sports, fans will indicate their support for a player by waving the flag of his or her home country.
• Capture the flag is a popular children's sport.
• In Gaelic football and Hurling a green flag is use to indicate a goal while a white flag is used to indicate a point
• In Australian rules football, the goal umpire will wave two flags to indicate a goal and a single flag to indicate a point.
• For safety, dive flags indicate the locations of underwater scuba divers.
• In water sports such as Wakeboarding and Water-Skiing, an orange flag is held in between runs to indicate someone is in the water.

Swimming flags

Open swimming area

Closed swimming area

In Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Philippines, and the United Kingdom a pair of red/yellow flags is used to mark the limits of the bathing area on a beach, usually guarded by surf lifesavers. If the beach is closed, the poles of the flags are crossed. The flags are colored with a red triangle and a yellow triangle making a rectangular flag, or a red rectangle over a yellow rectangle. On many Australian beaches there is a slight variation with beach condition signaling. A red flag signifies a closed beach (or, in the UK, some other danger), yellow signifies strong current or difficult swimming conditions, and green represents a beach safe for general swimming. In Ireland, a red and yellow flag indicates that it is safe to swim; a red flag that it is unsafe; and no flag indicates that there are no lifeguards on duty. Blue flags may also be used away from the yellow-red lifesaver area to designate a zone for surfboarding and other small, non-motorised watercraft.

Reasons for closing the beach include:

• dangerous rip
• hurricane warning
• no lifeguards in attendance
• overpolluted water
• sharks
• tsunami
• waves too strong

A surf flag exists, divided into four quadrants. The top left and bottom right quadrants are black, and the remaining area is white.

Signal flag "India" (a black circle on a yellow square) is frequently used to denote a "blackball" zone where surfboards cannot be used but other water activities are permitted.

Railway flags

Railways use a number of colored flags. When used as wayside signals they usually use the following meanings (exact meanings are set by the individual railroad company):

• red = stop
• yellow = proceed with care
• green or white or blue = proceed.
• a flag of any color waved vigorously means stop
• a blue flag on the side of a locomotive means that it should not be moved because someone is working on it (or on the train attached to it). A blue flag on a track means that nothing on that track should be moved. The flag can only be removed by the person or group that placed it.

At night, the flags are replaced with lanterns showing the same colors.

Flags displayed on the front of a moving locomotive are an acceptable replacement for classification lights and usually have the following meanings (exact meanings are set by the individual railroad company):

• white = extra (not on the timetable)
• green = another section following
• red = last section

Additionally, a railroad brakeman will typically carry a red flag to make his or her hand signals more visible to the engineer. Railway signals are a development of railway flags.^[7]

In politics

The Rainbow flag of the LGBT social movement. A similar flag is used in Europe to support pacifism.

Social and political movements have adopted flags, to increase their visibility and as a unifying symbol.

The socialist movement uses red flags to represent their cause. The anarchism movement has a variety of different flags, but the primary flag associated with them is the black flag. In the 1970s, the rainbow flag was adopted as a symbol of the LGBT social movements. Bisexual and transgender pride flags were later designed, in an attempt to emulate the rainbow flag's success.

Some of these political flags have become national flags, such as the red flag of the Soviet Union and national socialist banners for Nazi Germany. The present Flag of Portugal is based on what had been the political flag of the Portuguese Republican Party previous to the 5 October 1910 revolution which brought this party to power.

Flagpoles

"Flagpole" redirects here. For the magazine, see Flagpole Magazine.

The world's tallest flagpole [160 m (525 ft)], over Kijŏng-dong, near Panmunjeom, North Korea

A flagpole, flagstaff, or staff can be a simple support made of wood or metal. If it is taller than can be easily reached to raise the flag, a cord is used, looping around a pulley at the top of the pole with the ends tied at the bottom. The flag is fixed to one lower end of the cord, and is then raised by pulling on the other end. The cord is then tightened and tied to the pole at the bottom. The pole is usually topped by a flat plate or ball called a "truck" (originally meant to keep a wooden pole from splitting) or a finial in a more complex shape.

Very high flagpoles may require more complex support structures than a simple pole, such as guy wires, or need be built as a mast. The highest flagpole in the world, at 160 metres (525 ft), is that at Gijeong-dong in North Korea, the flag weighing about 270 kilograms (600 pounds) when dry.^[8]

Since 2008 with 133 m (436 ft) the tallest free-standing flagpole in the world is the Ashgabat Flagpole in Turkmenistan, beating the formerly record holding Aqaba Flagpole in Jordan (size: 132 m; 433 ft).^[9] It will however be outrivaled by the National Flag Square in Azerbaijan, which is currently under construction and will reach a height of 162 m (531 ft).^[10] The Raghadan Flagpole in Amman is currently the third tallest free-standing flagpole in the world. It reaches a height of 126 meters (410 ft) and hoists a flag that measures 60 by 40 meters (200 by 130 feet); it is illuminated at night and can be seen from 25 km (16 miles) away.

Design

Flagpoles can be designed in one piece with a taper (typically a cone taper or a Greek entasis taper),^[11] or be made from multiple pieces to make them able to expand. In the United States, ANSI/NAAMM guide specification FP-1001-97 covers the engineering design of metal flagpoles to ensure safety.

Flags and communication

Semaphore is a form of communication that utilizes flags. The signalling is performed by an individual using two flags (or lighted wands), the positions of the flags indicating a symbol. The person who holds the flags is known as the signalman. This form of communication is primarily used by naval signallers. This technique of signalling was adopted in the early 1800s and is still used in various forms today.

The colors of the flags can also be used to communicate. For example; a white flag means, among other things, surrender or peace, a red flag can be used as a warning signal, and a black flag can mean war, or determined to defeat enemies.

See also

Lists and galleries of flags

• Gallery of flags by design
• Gallery of flags by similarity
• Gallery of sovereign state flags
• List of flag names
• List of flags
• List of flags by country
• Unofficial flags

Notable flag-related topics

• False flag
• Flag Day
• Flag desecration
• Flag etiquette
• Flag Patch
• Flag semaphore
• Flag terminology
• Flag throwing
• Pledge of Allegiance
• Standard-bearer (also enumerates various types of standards, both flag types and immobile ensigns)
• Vexillology

Miscellaneous

• Petrosomatoglyph Symbols and prehistory
• Jolly Roger

References

1. ^ ^{a b} flag. (2008). Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica.
2. ^ Articles 90-94 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
3. ^ Guinness World Records
4. ^ Sunnex news article
5. ^ Guinness World Records
6. ^ Why you should not use a flag as a symbol of language
7. ^ Calvert, J.B. (2004-07-25). "Early Railway Signals". University of Denver. http://mysite.du.edu/~etuttle/rail/sigs.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-07. 
8. ^ "Korea's DMZ: Scariest place on Earth". CNN. February 20, 2002. http://edition.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/02/19/koreas.dmz/. 
9. ^ "Flag of Turkmenistan". Official Homepage of the Republic of Turkmenistan. July 03, 2008. http://turkmenistan.gov.tm/_eng/2008/07/03/flag_of_turkmenistan_at_the_tallest_flagpole_in_the_world.html. 
10. ^ "Wer baut den hoechsten Fahnenmast". Der Spiegel. September 09, 2008. http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/fotostrecke-35119.html. 
11. ^ "Cone Tapered vs. Venetian Entasis Tapered". Lingo Flagpoles Inc. Archived from the original on 2005-02-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20050228014231/http://lingoinc.com/tapers.htm. 

• Australian Botany pages
• William G. Crampton; The World of Flags; Rand McNally; ISBN 0-528-83720-6 (hardcover, 1994).
• Samuel Finley Breese Morse
• Ultimate Pocket Flags of the World; Dorling Kindersley; ISBN 0-7894-2085-6; (1st American edition, hardcover, 1996).

External links

• Flags of the world, Flag images
• Flags Forum, discussion forum
• Interactive Flag Design, interactive flag design page using evolutionary algorithms
• Flag Identifier, tool for identifying a given flag
• Flag news and views
• Flags of all countries
• fotw.net, Flags of the World, an outstanding source of vexillological information, contributed to by a group of international volunteers.
• List of all Country Flags
• World Flag Database

v • d • e Lists of flags Master list · Reference list State-related Arab states · Armed Forces · Country · Formerly independent · Heads of state · Maritime · Sovereign · Special and fictional · Unrecognized Other entities Active autonomist and secessionist movements · Cities · Country subdivisions · Cultural · Dependent territories · Ethnic  · Micronations By design Animals · Astronomical · Bicolors · Borders · Buildings · Canton (British ensigns) · Circles · Color (by number) · Crescents · Crosses (Nordic) · Devices · Diamonds · Geographical · Headgear · Humans · Inscriptions · Nautical · Plants · Quartered · Similar · Solids · Squares · Stars · Stripes · Triangles · Tribands · Two-sided · Weapons By country Argentina · Armenia · Australia · Austria · Azerbaijan · Barbados · Belarus · Belgium · Bosnia and Herzegovina · Brazil · Canada · China · Colombia · Croatia · Denmark · Dominican Republic · Estonia · Finland · France · Germany · Georgia · Greece · Iceland · India · Ireland · Israel · Iran · Iraq · Italy · Jamaica · Japan · Kenya · Kosovo · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Macedonia · Malaysia · Mexico · Malta · Moldova · Montenegro · Netherlands · New Zealand · Norway · Pakistan · Peru · Poland (voivodeships) · Portugal · Puerto Rico · Rhodesia · Romania · Russia · Serbia · South Africa · South Korea · Spain · Sri Lanka · Sweden · Switzerland · Thailand · Ukraine · United Kingdom (England · Northern Ireland · Scotland · Wales · Falkland Islands · Gibraltar) · United States  · Uzbekistan  · Vatican City · Yugoslavia · Zimbabwe By continent Africa · Antarctica · Asia · Europe · North America · Oceania · South America Names in italics indicate non-sovereign (dependent) territories and/or former countries.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
n. - flag
v. tr. - flage

idioms:

• flag day    mærkedag
• Flag Day    14. juni (US)
• flag down    standse
• fly the flag    flage, tale til fordel for

2.
n. - flise, sandsten
v. tr. - belægge med fliser

3.
n. - gul sværdlilje, flæg

4.
v. intr. - slappes, svækkes, langsomt gå i stå

Nederlands (Dutch)
vlag, lis, iris, staart, vlaggetje aan muzieknoot, vlaggenschip, admiraal, straattegel, verslappen, signaleren, vlag zetten op, bestraffen (sport), wapperen, betegelen

Français (French)
1.
n. - drapeau, (Comput) drapeau, marqueur
v. tr. - baliser, signaler, (Comput) signaler qch au moyen d'un marqueur

idioms:

• flag day    jour de quête pour une ouvre de bienfaisance
• Flag Day    (US) 14 juin
• flag down    arrêter, stopper (un automobiliste, une voiture)
• fly the flag    défendre les couleurs de son pays

2.
n. - carreau (en pierre), dalle
v. tr. - pavoiser de drapeaux

3.
n. - (Bot) iris

4.
v. intr. - faiblir, baisser, languir, flancher

Deutsch (German)
1.
n. - Signal
v. - (etwas) signalisieren

idioms:

• flag day    (Brit) Tag der Straßensammlung für wohltätige Zwecke
• Flag Day    14. Juni (am. Jahrestag der Nationalflagge), Tag einer Wohltätigkeits-Straßensammlung
• flag down    anhalten
• fly the flag    die Fahne zeigen

2.
n. - Fliese
v. - fliesen

3.
n. - (bot.) Schwertlilie

4.
v. - erlahmen

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - σημαία, πλακόλιθος, πλάκα λιθόστρωτου, (ναυτ.) ναυαρχίδα, ένδειξη προγράμματος Η/Υ
v. - σημαιοστολίζω, μαραίνομαι, χαλαρώνω, κρεμάω, ξεθυμαίνω, εξασθενίζω, κάμπτομαι, πλακοστρώνω, σηματοδοτώ

idioms:

• flag day    (ΗΠΑ) η 14η Ιουνίου
• flag down    (επί αστυνομικών κ.λπ.) κάνω σήμα για σταμάτημα (οχήματος)
• fly the flag    διατρανώνω ή υπερασπίζομαι τις θέσεις μου

Italiano (Italian)
indebolirsi, calare, diminuire, flettersi, lastricare, bandiera, lastra

idioms:

• Flag Day/flag day    Festa della bandiera
• flag down    segnalare di fermarsi
• fly the flag    esporre la bandiera

Português (Portuguese)
n. - bandeira (f), laje (f)
v. - embandeirar, pavimentar com lajes, enfraquecer

idioms:

• flag day    dia (m) da bandeira
• flag down    fazer sinal (para um táxi, etc.)
• fly the flag    não se deixar dominar, ser patriota

Русский (Russian)
ослабевать, передавать флажками, убывать, выстилать плитняком, флаг, флажок, флагман, размахивать флажками, плитняк

idioms:

• flag day    фень американского флага (14 июня), день благотворительной продажи флажков
• flag down    остановить (такси)
• fly the flag    появиться, показаться

Español (Spanish)
1.
n. - bandera, pabellón, señal de parada, señal con bandera
v. tr. - hacer señales con una bandera, hacer señal de parada, señalar con banderas

idioms:

• Flag Day    Día de la Bandera, catorce de junio (EE.UU.), día de cuestación
• flag day    Día de la Bandera, catorce de junio (EE.UU.), día de cuestación
• flag down    hacer señales a un coche para que pare
• fly the flag    ser patriótico, representar a su país

2.
n. - azulejo, losa, baldosa
v. tr. - embaldosar, enlosar, adoquinar, baldosar, losar

3.
n. - lirio

4.
v. intr. - flaquear, decaer, languidecer, acabarse, enfriarse

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - svärdslilja, kalmus, kaveldun, långt vasst blad, grovt gräs, stenplatta, flagga, ledigskylt på taxi, yvig hundsvans, vingpenna på fågel, huvud på tidning, slokande blad, växelindikator (data)
v. - hissa flagg på, signalera med flaggor, hänga slappt ner (om segel o vingar), vi

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
1. 旗, 茸尾, 旗状物, 在...上竖旗子, 打旗号等使停下, 打旗号表示

idioms:

• flag day    美国国旗纪念日
• flag down    打旗号使停下
• fly the flag    拒绝投降, 继续坚持自己的看法或意见, 为祖国感到自豪

2. 菖蒲, 香蒲

3. 无力地下垂, 衰退, 低落, 萎垂

4. 石板, 铺路石, 铺石板

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 菖蒲, 香蒲

2.
n. - 旗, 茸尾, 旗狀物
v. tr. - 在...上豎旗子, 打旗號等使停下, 打旗號表示

idioms:

• flag day    美國國旗紀念日
• flag down    打旗號使停下
• fly the flag    拒絕投降, 繼續堅持自己的看法或意見, 為祖國感到自豪

3.
v. intr. - 無力地下垂, 衰退, 低落, 萎垂

4.
n. - 石板, 鋪路石
v. tr. - 鋪石板

한국어 (Korean)
1.
n. - 깃발, (인쇄) 정정표시 한 곳, (매의) 다리의 깃털
v. tr. - ~에 기를 올리다, ~을 기로 장식하다

idioms:

• flag down    ~을 깃발로 전하다

2.
n. - (길의) 판석
v. tr. - ~에 판석을 깔다

3.
n. - 붓꽃류

4.
v. intr. - (돛이) 늘어지다, 약해지다, 시들다

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 旗, 旗状のもの, ふさふさとした尾, アヤメ科の植物, 板石
v. - 旗を立てる, 旗で飾る, 合図する, 合図して止める, だらりと垂れる, しおれる, 衰える, 薄れる, 板石で舗装する

idioms:

• flag day    旗の日, 国旗制定記念日
• flag down    停止させる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) علم , رايه, اشارة في لغه برمجه الكومبيوتر (فعل) يرفع علم , يشير بعلم‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮דגל‬
v. tr. - ‮קישט בדגלים‬
n. - ‮איריס‬
v. intr. - ‮התעייף, נחלש, דעך, קמל‬
n. - ‮ידית-איתות (של מכונית)‬
v. tr. - ‮אותת ל-‬

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