Flag Is Four Words Wearing One Spelling
A flag is a piece of cloth used as a signal. Three other flags mean a stone slab, a plant and a loss of energy.
A flag is a piece of cloth used as a symbol or signal. Three other words share the spelling and none is related: a *flagstone* is a flat slab, from Old Norse *flaga*; a *flag* is also an iris or reed growing in wet ground; and *to flag* means to lose energy, probably from a word meaning to droop. Vexillology, the study of flags, takes its name from the Roman *vexillum*, a cloth banner hung from a crossbar rather than a pole.
- A cloth banner. *A national flag.*
- To mark. *Flag the passage.*
- To lose energy. *Interest flagged.*
- A stone slab. *A flagstone.*
- Vexillology — the study of flags. *Vexillology.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | flag | A flag. |
| Plural | flags | Flags. |
| Verb | flag | Flagging. |
| Compound | flagstone | A flagstone. |
| Latin | vexillum | A banner. |
- The flag flew at half mast.Banner.
- His energy flagged by noon.Tiredness.
- Flagstones paved the yard.Stone.
Flag terms worth knowing
- Hoist — the side nearest the pole
- Fly — the free-flying side
- Canton — the upper corner nearest the hoist
- Half mast — lowered as a sign of mourning
- Vexillology — the study of flags, from Latin *vexillum*
Of uncertain origin, probably imitative of flapping, recorded from the 1400s. The other senses have separate roots.
What is vexillology?
The study of flags, named from the Roman vexillum, a banner hung from a crossbar rather than flown from a pole.
Is a flagstone the same word?
No. That comes from Old Norse flaga, a slab, and is unrelated to the cloth banner.