ensign

en·sign

UK/ˈɛn.sɪn/ US/ˈɛn.sən/ fairly common

noun

a person who holds a commissioned rank in the United States Navy or the United States Coast Guard; below lieutenant junior grade

an emblem flown as a symbol of nationality

Synonyms

national flag

colors flown by a ship to show its nationality

Origin

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

Phrases

civil ensign
ensign first class
ensign fly
ensign scale
merchant ensign
red ensign
revenue ensign
ship of the line ensign

Related words

Broader terms

colors
emblem
flag
commissioned naval officer

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.