ensign

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See also: Ensign

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology

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From Middle English ensigne, from Old French enseigne, from Latin īnsignia, nominative plural of īnsigne, meaning marked, distinguished. Doublet of insignia.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈɛn.sɪn/, IPA(key): /ˈɛn.sən/, [ˈɛn.sn̩] IPA(key): /ˈɛn.saɪn/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɛnsən

Noun

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ensign (plural ensigns)

  1. A badge of office, rank, or power.
    • 1690, Edmund Waller, The Maid’s Tragedy, Alter’d by Mr Waller[1], page 8:
      The Ensigns of our Power about we bear; / And every Land pays Tribute to the Fair.
  2. The lowest grade of commissioned officer in the United States Navy, junior to a lieutenant junior grade.
  3. A flag or banner carried by military units; a standard or color/colour.
    Synonym: ancient
  4. (nautical) The principal flag or banner flown by a ship (usually at the stern) to indicate nationality.
    • 1960 [a. 120], Ian Scott-Kilvert, “Life of Alcibiades”, in The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives, translation of original by Plutarch:
      But Alcibiades swiftly ran up the Athenian ensign on his flagship and bore down on that part of the Peloponnesian fleet which held the advantage and was pursuing the Athenians.
  5. Any prominent flag or banner.
    • 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. [], London: [] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker []; [a]nd by Robert Boulter []; [a]nd Matthias Walker, [], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: [], London: Basil Montagu Pickering [], 1873, →OCLC:
      Ten thousand thousand ensigns high advanced.
  6. (historical) A junior commissioned officer in the 18th and 19th centuries whose duty was to carry the unit's ensign.

Synonyms

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(junior commissioned officer):

  • coronet (cavalry equivalent of the infantry ensign)
  • second lieutenant (OF-1), first NATO commissioned officer grade above OF-0 trainee officer

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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ensign (third-person singular simple present ensigns, present participle ensigning, simple past and past participle ensigned)

  1. (obsolete) To designate as by an ensign.
  2. To distinguish by a mark or ornament.
  3. (heraldry) To distinguish by an ornament, especially by a crown.
    Any charge which has a crown immediately above or upon it, is said to be ensigned.

Anagrams

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