| NAVA |
 |
| Edited by Richard R. Gideon |
This is a new NAVA feature and is an on-going project. Corrections, contributions, suggestions, and comments should be sent to webmaster@nava.org.
Last Revision: 29 April 2001
VOLUME TWO (N through Z)
click here for VOLUME ONE (A through M)
| N | ||
| National Flag | The flag recognized in common by members of a separate and in some way distinct group under their own government or would-be government, and itself one of the characteristics of nationality. The National Flag needs to be distinguished from the Government Flag or Ensign. (Note: from Dictionary of Flag Terminology by William Crampton) | |
| Natural Fabric | Textiles made of animal or vegetable fibers, examples of
which are wool, silk, cotton, and linen (from flax).
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| Noil | Short staple fibers of material used to make
fabric. Two commonly produced fabrics are silk noil and fine
woolens. Silk noil has a surface that is rougher than fine silk,
and noils of wool are used in the so-called fine woolen trade and have a
fluffy surface.
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| Nylon | A synthetic polymer (polyamide) usually derived from a difunctional amine
and a dicarboxylic acid (or their condensed forms). It can be extruded
from a melt or solution to form fibers with high resistance to wear.
In the
United States most outdoor flags are made of this material.
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| O | ||
| Obverse | The "front" side of the flag, usually defined as viewing the
flag from its attachment point to the fly edge from left to right.
However, the term also refers to the correct placement of text or
objects. See Reverse
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| Outrigger | A flagpole mounted on a structure that protrudes at an angle other
than the vertical.
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| Oxford | A class of cotton or synthetic soft textiles made with a modified
plain or basket weave. According to the Industrial Fabrics
Association International, the fabric originated in Scotland, and is the
only survivor of four distinctive fabrics named after universities; the
others being Cambridge, Harvard, and Yale.
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| P | ||
| Padding the sleeve | Description of a technique used to form a sleeve mounting
for flags, particularly those military colors used by the Union Army in
the American Civil War. The leading edge would be doubled over and
lined with linen, then sewn to form a tube (sleeve).
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| Pale | 1) A stripe on cloth. 2) One third of an escutcheon
bounded by two straight lines running vertically at equal distances from
the sides of the escutcheon. 3) A space enclosed. See Impale
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| Pantone® | A proprietary system of identifying colors by code.
Pantone® is the most commonly used color system for identifying flag colors in silk-screening operations. There are a couple of commercial sites you may want to consult on use of color in flags: (1)
www.pantone.com; (2) www.TMEALF.com and click the 'How to design a flag' feature.
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| Pennant | A flag made in the shape of an isosceles triangle.
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| Pennon | Canadian (military): A long, thin flag, either
pointed or forked at the end, borne by a "knight simple," who ranked below the "knight banneret."
Much reduced in size, it was later adopted by lancer regiments and is still used for ceremonial purposes on lances
and parade markers.
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| Pigment | Colored matter. Insoluble powder mixed with water,
oil, resin, etc., and used to make paint. Pigments are subtractive
in nature. The primary pigments are red, yellow, and blue.
When mixed the color produced is the difference between the
primaries. For example, yellow and blue make green, and an equal
mixture of all three primaries theoretically make black.
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| Pike | Military term for a staff (q.v.). During the US Civil War Union pikes
were 9 feet, 9 inches in overall length (including the finial (q.v.)
on top).
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| Pilot Flag | 1) A flag flown from a ship that wants the aid of a harbor
pilot when entering a port (pilot call); 2) Used to indicate that a pilot is
aboard ship.
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| Polarize | 1) The position of a device upon the field of a flag, or the
position of the flag itself. See Horizontal Polarization
and Vertical Polarization.
2) To confine transverse electromagnetic waves to a definite
pattern, thus cutting down their intensity while still allowing light to
fall on an object. Glass that has been polarized is used in museum
displays to reduce the amount of infrared (q.v.),
visible, and ultraviolet (q.v.) light
falling on an artifact. Natural or most artificial light waves do
not maintain a specific position as they travel through the air.
Only light that has the same polarization as the glass will pass through
it and illuminate the object. Thus the total amount of light
energy falling on the object is greatly reduced.
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| Polyester |
Polymer formed by condensing a bifunctional alcohol with a dibasic acid: used in making a large variety of plastics, including fibers that are spun into flag fabric (bunting). In Canada and Europe, most outdoor flags are made from this material.
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| Pressure Relief Panel | A section of perforated fabric used to reduce the amount
of wind pressure against the face of a flag. The panel acts as a
"blowhole," allowing air or wind to pass through without
ripping or destroying the flag. These panels are generally found
on large flags; as an example, flags suspended between buildings or from
bridges. Typical panels consist of half-moon cuts, mesh fabric, or
horizontal cuts. (During the United States Bicentennial New York
City displayed a huge flag from the George Washington Bridge.
Unfortunately, the flag did not have any pressure relief panels, and the
wind ripped the flag into pieces within a few days.)
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| Pressure Wave | The movement of a differential in pressure across the
surface of a flag. It is the pressure wave that is responsible for
a flag "waving in the breeze."
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| Primary Color | 1) A single frequency of electromagnetic radiation to
which the eye is sensitive. 2) A color that cannot be broken down
into any other color. In television and computer monitors the
primary colors are Red, Green, and Blue; in printing the primary colors
are Cyan, Yellow, and Magenta. Mixing primary colors results in
new colors by an addition process in television picture tubes, or a
subtractive process for paints. Most flags use at least one
primary color.
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| Protocol | 1) Ceremonial forms of courtesy and respect that are
established as proper conduct between heads of state and their
ministers. 2) In vexillology, the established forms of display of
nations' flags with respect to the venue in which they are being
displayed; i.e., how one arranges domestic and foreign flags. See
Honor Position.
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| Q | ||
| Quarter |  To divide into four sections. Each section may host
different designs, or diagonal sections may host the same design.
The flag of the Panama (at left) is a good example.
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| Quincunx |  1)
An arrangement of five objects in a square. In vexillology, this
term has been used to describe the motif of stars arranged
3:2:3:2:3. Strictly speaking, the quincufix would consist of the
four corner stars and the center star in the picture to the left. From
Quincuncial, meaning 5/12 of anything. 2) From the Latin quinque five + uncia twelfth.
Attributed to Astrol. The aspect of two planets which are five signs (150 degrees) apart in the sky. M17" (mid 17th century).
This would be five of 12 signs. (Photo
courtesy Richard R. Gideon Flags, SP)
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| R | ||
| Raw Silk | Fabric made of silk fibers that have not undergone the
removal of the sericin (q.v.) coating.
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| Reactive Dyes | Artificial dyes that molecularly bond with fiber strands,
becoming a part of the fiber itself. Reactive dyes are more resilient
and do not fade as rapidly as normal dyes. (see Dye)
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| Reeve | 1) To pull the halyard (q.v.)
through the truck (q.v.). 2) To raise
or lower a flag.
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| Receding Color | See Retreating Color
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| Relative Humidity | A measure of the amount of water vapor in a unit of air
with respect to the amount of water vapor the air could hold. For
example if a cubic meter of air is holding half the amount of water
vapor it could hold the relative humidity is 50%. Antique flag
material requires storage in controlled environments, with carefully
controlled relative humidity. If the air is too dry the material
may become brittle and break; too wet, and mold and mildew may form.
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| Retreating Color | In a dichromatic field, a three dimensional effect in
which one color seems to recede behind another color. Optical
scientists say that blue retreats behind red.
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| RGB |  Red Green
Blue. 1) A color coding system based on the three light primary colors;
used in
television transmission and reception. The system has been adopted
by printers and flag makers to provide compatibility between established
print coding, such as Pantone® (q.v.),
and cathode ray tube (CRT) displays. 2) A quasi-analog system
used in computer monitors.
Note: Early computer color monitors used the three primary television
colors of red, green, and blue, but only in a binary fashion; i.e.,
either the color was present or it wasn't. This system could
produce up to 16 different colors. With the advent of the VGA and
SVGA computer monitor standards, each color was represented by an 8 bit
binary number. An 8 bit binary number can represent 256 events,
from 0 to 255. Since there are three primary colors, the total
theoretical number of color combinations is 256 (red) x 256 (green) x
256 (blue) or 16,777,216.
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| Reverse | The "back" side of the flag, usually defined as viewing the
flag from its attachment point to the fly edge from right to left.
However, the term also refers to the reverse or mirror image placement
of text or objects. See Obverse
|
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| Richey-Fowler Technique | A method of stitching developed by Amelia Fowler and used
to conserve historic textiles and flags. Mrs. Fowler modeled her
conservation stitch on a similar process used in Europe to stabilize
medieval tapestries. Flags treated with the Fowler method would be
placed on linen and stitched down using a patented sewing pattern that
resulted in a net-like covering on the obverse side of the flag.
Mrs. Fowler's daughter, Katherine Richey, assumed her mother's cottage
business and turned it into a commercial enterprise.
Unfortunately, this method of conservation put severe strain on fabric,
particularly silks, and is no longer employed.
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| Roll Worsted | A light weight worsted (q.v.) wool
woven in 18" widths. Roll worsted was first documented in the
15th century, and the practice continued through the 19th century.
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| Royal Purple | A color of antiquity described as a crimson (not to be
confused with modern purple, which is basically dark blue with some red
in it). The dye comes from a tiny shellfish, the murex, found in
the Mediterranean Sea. In the days of antiquity the finest royal
purple was said to come from Tyre in Phoenicia.
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| Russia sheeting | A linen fabric; used by Ann Hoskin as heading material
for certain military flags made in the early 1800's.
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| S | ||
| Saltire (or Saltier) |  A device in the form of an X, also known as a St.
Andrew's Cross. Featured in the national flag of Scotland and in
the designs of some of the Confederate States' Battle Flags.(Photo courtesy Richard R. Gideon Flags, SP)
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| Satin | Fabric having a smooth finish; shiny on one side, and
dull on the other. Usually made of silk, nylon, or rayon.
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| Sarcenet (also Sarcennett) | A soft silk cloth, traceable to the middle English
period; from the French "sarzinett."
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| Saturated | 1) Pure, undiluted color, free from any trace of
white. 2) Of cloth; soaked with moisture.
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| Selvage (also Selvedge) | An edge of a bolt of fabric that has been tied off at the
loom in order to prevent fraying and unraveling. If the edges are
neatly finished it is called a finished selvage. Finished selvage
edges were quite common in 19th Century flags, being used along the
upper and lower fly edges. Where the edge is simply tied off, such
as at the ends of a run of fabric, the term used is raw selvage.
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| Semaphore | 1) A system of signaling using two handheld flags.
Letters, numbers, etc., are represented by the position of the
arms. 2) The signal flags themselves.
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| Sendal (also spelled Cendal) | A thin sarcennett of raw silk, coarser and narrower than
sarcennett. One of the earliest descriptions of sendal was made by
Chaucer.
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| Sericin | Also called silk gelatin. The gelatinous
compound obtained from crude silk. Silk thread is boiled to remove
sericin prior to being woven into fine silk fabric. See raw
silk.
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| Schwenkel | A triangular annex attached to the upper fly of a rectangular flag,
usually, although not always, in the colours of the field, and originally
stiffened of suspended from a gallery. Another form consisted of a strip along
the top edge, with a dependent tail. The name may also be used for the whole
flag (usually an armorial banner) with the Schwenkel attached. (Note:
from Dictionary of Flag Terminology by William Crampton)
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| Signal Flag | A flag designed to convey a message, warning, letter, to
identify a ship at sea, or to identify a geographic feature.
Commonly associated with maritime usage, signal flags have been used
both on land and sea. A modern version of a signal flag is the
checkered flag used at automobile races.
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| Silk Screen Process | A method of printing a flat color design through a piece
of silk or other fine cloth on which all parts of the design not to be
printed have been blocked by an impermeable substance.
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| Sindon | A fine linen. From the "Draper's
Dictionary" as quoted in "Thirteen-Star Flags" by Grace Rogers
Cooper
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| Sleeve | A type of mounting for a flag in which a tube of fabric
is sewn to the hoist (q.v.) side of the
flag. The flagpole is passed through the tube, and the flag is
then affixed to the pole by way of a leather (or other material) tab
sewn on the top of the sleeve. The sleeve may be made of the body
of the flag itself, or may be a separate piece of fabric. On silk
flags, the sleeve may be lined with linen.
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| Snap Hook |  A
spring-loaded clasp on a C ring, used to attach a flag to a halyard or
eyelet on a flagpole
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| Solar Constant | Radiant heat energy equivalent to (19.4kcal/min)m2.
Used by scientists to determine the amount of energy that falls over an
area. Flags that receive a great deal of solar energy deteriorate
rapidly. Conservation scientists may calculate solar energy in
order to help determine the age of a flag, color fading, and fabric
breakdown.
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| Spun Silk | Yarn made from leftover silk, usually up to a foot in
length.
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| Staff | A pole used to support a banner or flag. Note: There is some confusion regarding the use of pole, pike (q.v.), and staff. Research into this word shows various usages and forms. As best as can be determined at this writing, a pole does not carry an implied limitation as to its height; thus you may have flag poles that are quite high. Staff seems to be restricted to those supports that may be carried; thus there is an implication to restrict the length of a staff. A pike derives from the medieval spear-like weapon used by formations of soldiers. Thus it may be said to be relatively short, with an appropriate finial (q.v.).
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| Standard | A military term for a flag. A standard is the flag used by an
army's cavalry. (see Color)
Canadian (military): In an earlier form, the standard was a long, tapered
flag with fringed or bordered edges and split rounded ends. It generally bore its possessor's badge and motto, and varied in size |
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| Star | 1) An appliquéd, painted, embroidered, or glued shape
suggesting the rays of light emanating from a celestial body.
Often of 4, 5, 6, or 8 points. 2) A mullet (q.v.).
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| Stencil |  A sheet
of paper, cardboard, etc., laid atop a textile material, and cut through
in such a way as to allow paint to form into a shape on the
material. During the American Civil War stencils were extensively
used by many organizations, such as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, to
expeditiously create special seals and shapes. (Example of a stencil)
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| Storm Flag | A military term for a flag used in inclement weather,
about half the size of a garrison flag.
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| Streamer | 1) A long, narrow, ribbon-like flag. 2) A long,
thin piece of cloth upon which is inscribed the names of battles or
campaigns that a military unit has fought.
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| Stuff | An 18th century expression for fabric.
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| Swallowtail |  A
flag whose fly end consists of two points, and whose field is notched in
a V shape.
(Photo courtesy Richard R. Gideon Flags, SP)
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| Synthetic Fabric | Textiles made of chemicals, combined so as to produce
fibers. Examples are Nylon and Polyester.
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| T | ||
| Tabletop Flag |  A small
flag, often 4 inches by 6 inches (10cm by 15.3cm), mounted on a stick
and set into a base for display indoors on a desk or table. The
vast majority of these flags are silk-screened (q.v.).
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| Taffeta | According to the Industrial Fabrics Association
International, a category of fabrics made with a plain-weave, and having
a fine, smooth, crisp face. The fabric employs a heavier filling yarn
relative to the warp, resulting in a fine cross-rib pattern.
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| Textile | From the Latin verb texere, to weave, fabric that
is made by weaving threads together.
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| Tie | Long pieces of fabric used to attach a flag to a
pole. Usually made of leftover fabric.
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| Tri-Bar | A flag with three bars or panels as its distinctive
field. The bars may be horizontal (i.e., the Russian flag) or
vertical (i.e., the French flag). Tri-Bar flags are distinguished
from tri-color flags in that tri-bar flags may have only two colors.
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| Tri-Color | A flag of three colors. The French national flag is
said to be a tri-color.
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| Truck | 1) A small block or disk with holes for halyards found at
the top of a flagpole or ship's mast. 2) A cap the covers the top
of the flagpole and keeps the weather out. It also serves to hold
the pulley through which the rope halyard runs to raise and lower the
flags.
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| Twill | A weave of fabric in which diagonal lines are produced by
passing yarn over and under the warp. A common pattern is over one
and under two warp threads.
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| Tyrian | A natural purple dye made from shellfish.
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| U | ||
| UFE | Unidentified Flag or Ensign: Frequently seen on Flags Of
The World for unknown flags seen.
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| Ultraviolet | A large band of electromagnetic radiation above the
visible light spectrum, abbreviated U.V. U.V. rays are responsible
for the "tanning" reaction in human skin. U.V. rays
cause deterioration in fabric and dyes. Although most U.V. comes
from the sun, artificial light, such as fluorescent lighting, may
emit quite a bit of U.V. radiation. Flags that are on public
display are often placed behind special glass panels that block U.V.
radiation.
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| Umber | A kind of earth containing oxides of manganese and iron, used as a
pigment. Some examples are: Raw Umber (yellow-brown)
and Burnt Umber (reddish-brown).
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| V | ||
| Vertical Polarization |  1) The position of
the sections of the field, or a device, on a flag that is
predominately vertical. For example, the French national is
vertically polarized because the tri-bars are vertically
positioned. 2) Where the aspect ratio of a flag favors the length
along the hoist.
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| Vexillologist | A person involved in the scientific study of flags.
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| Vexillographer | One who designs flags.
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| Vexillography | The design of flags.
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| Vexilloid | A post or pole bearing a solid symbol or symbols. These types of emblems go way back into antiquity and are the forebears of modern flags. | |
| Vexillology | The scientific study of flags. The word was coined
by Dr. Whitney Smith.
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| Vexillum | A military flag used by the armies of ancient Rome,
consisting of a square fabric piece suspended from a crossbar, and often
surmounted by a figure or symbol.
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| W | ||
| Warp | In weaving, the threads running lengthwise in the loom,
crossed by the woof (q.v.) or weft (q.v.).
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| Weave | 1) noun: The method by which thread is interlaced to form
fabric. There are many types of weaves, each with its own
characteristic. Flag makers often use a taffeta (also know as
plain) weave. Taffeta is created by interlacing warp and woof
threads. Twill weaving produces fabric with diagonal lines; a herringbone
pattern is an example. 2) verb: The act of creating fabric
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| Weft | In weaving, the threads that cross the warp (q.v.)
from selvage
(q.v.) to selvage: also known as woof.
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| Wheft | Any flag with a knot in it - used as a signal of distress at sea.
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| Whipstitch | To cast a thread in a spiral around fabric edges,
although not
through the fabric, and back again. Whip stitching results in very
fine and close stitches.
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| Whitney, The | Named for Dr. Whitney Smith of the Flag Research Center, it is a statue modeled after the Emmy, holding up a star with V-shaped arms. It is awarded by the North American Vexillological Association to the person who makes an outstanding contribution to North American Vexillology, and only when there is a worthy recipient. | |
| Width | The dimension of a flag as measured along the edge attached to the pole. Although this seems to be the predominate definition, particularly as used by museum professionals, there is not universal agreement. In some circles this dimension would be called height. | |
| Woof | See Weft
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| Worsted Wool | Wool fabric made of so-called long-staple fibers.
Worsted cloth is spun from combed wool of parallel fibers, has a smooth
surface, and is used to make high quality woolen textiles.
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| X | ||
| Xanthin | 1) A yellow coloring matter found in flowers which is
insoluble in water. 2) The yellow coloring matter contained in
madder.
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| Y | ||
| Yarn | Spun strands of fabric used for weaving, knitting, or
making thread.
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| Yerd | A unit of measurement equivalent to a yard; an obsolete
word.
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| Z | ||
| Zigzag | With respect to flags, a type of stitch used in appliqué
work, characterized by the needle moving between the appliqué and the
field in short, sharp angles of alternate directions; often seen around
stars.
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| Zinc White | Zinc Oxide used to make a white pigment, and used in
paints.
|
In the left picture red is fully saturated, and the RGB number is
255,0,0. In the right picture the solid color is the result
of the RGB number 100,238,224. While the theoretical number of
color combinations is huge, in practice most monitors can show only
approximately 240 colors at any given instant. VOLUME TWO (N through Z)
click here for VOLUME ONE (A through M)
| Sources, Contributors and
Advisors:
"Advance the Colors" by Dr. Richard Sauers Cannon Jr., Devereaux D. "The Cotton Industry" by Chris Aspin (UK) "Dictionary of Flag Terminology" "The Dictionary of Misinformation" "The Flags of the Iron Brigade" "Fundamentals of Applied Physics" by Olivo and Olivo Gideon, Richard R. "Glossary of Vexillology, Terms,
Phrases and Facts "Heritage", Winter 2000 Industrial Fabrics Association International Martucci, David Nelson, Phillip L. Orenski, Dr. Peter Oswald, Harry Pope, Truman "The Silk Industry" by Sarah Bush (UK) Thirteen-Star Flags by Grace Rogers Cooper Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary - Dorset & Baber "The Woolen Industry" by Chris Aspin (UK) |