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# Dictionary of Vexillology: M (Model Flag – Mourning Ribbon)

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Last modified: 2026-04-04 by martin karner
Keywords: vexillological terms |
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On this page:

- MODEL FLAG
- MODERN
- MOLINE CROSS
- MON
- MONDOKORO
- MONOCHROME (or MONOCHROMATIC)
- MONOCOLOUR/MONOCOLOURED (or MONOCOLOR/MONOCOLORED)
- MONOGRAM
- MOON
- MORNING COLOURS (or COLORS)
- MORSE CODE SIGNALLING WITH FLAGS
- MORTARED
- MOTTO
- MOUNT (MOUND or MOUNTAIN)
- MOUNT OF COUPEAU (or COUPEAUX)
- MOURNING BUNTING (or FAN)
- MOURNING FLAG
- MOURNING RIBBON (or MOURNING CRAVAT)

MODEL FLAG
  A model of pattern and colour, often fixed by law, after which actual flags are manufactured – an etalon or type flag (see also flag law, official flag 1), prototype flag 1), specification and specification sheet).

  Flag of Yukon Territory, Canada (design details established by model flag); National Flag of Nigeria (shade of green defined by model flag)

MODERN
  The heraldic term for a coat of arms, or a charge, which has replaced a design formerly in use – see ancient 1).

  France Modern and France Ancient

MOLINE CROSS
  In heraldry see cross moline.

  Flag of Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont, Belgium

MON
  1) Generically, the term used to describe a simple, often (but not exclusively) circular design and the Japanese equivalent of a heraldic crest, badge or shield, originally a personal or family symbol, they are now also common in Japanese civic and provincial flags – but see 2) and the note below (also daimyo flags and hinomaru).
  2) Specifically, the term may be restricted to those Japanese flags showing a personal or family badge – a kamon or mondokoro (see also imperial standard 1) and imperial standard 2)).

  Flag of Aogashima Island, Japan; Flag of Fukuoka, Japan; Standard of the Imperial Family at Sea 1875–1889, Japan.

  Please note with regard to 1) that the symbol on Japanese sub-national flags is often a stylized version of the appropriate ideogram, and should be considered therefore, the equivalent of a monogram or cipher rather than of a crest, badge or shield.

MONDOKORO
  See mon 2)

  Standard of The Empress of Japan

MONOCHROME (or MONOCHROMATIC)
  1) The terms used when the illustration of a flag, or of a coat of arms, is rendered in tones or shades of a single colour, often (but by no means invariably) black/grey on white (see also hatching).
  2) The terms also used when a flag uses only black and white in its design.
  3) See monocolour.

  Flag of Crikvenica, Croatia shown in Monochrome (fotw & CS); Union Flag in Monochrome (flikr); National Flag of Trengganu, Malaysia

MONOCOLOUR/MONOCOLOURED (or MONOCOLOR/MONOCOLORED)
  1) The terms used when a flag is composed of a single colour – a unicolour or unicoloured
  2) The terms also sometimes employed to describe the field of a flag which is largely (but not entirely) plain – see plain 2).

  National Flag of Fujairah (now part of the UAE); Flag of Kedah, Malaysia

MONOGRAM
  A motif formed by one or more letters, formerly often intertwined and now more usually seen plain, as for example, on the royal standard of Belgium and some presidential flags of France – a cipher or ligature (this last especially if of only two letters) – but see royal cypher 1).

  Presidential Flag of France 1969–74; Princely Standard of Monaco; Royal Standard of Belgium 1993–2013

MOON
  1) In vexillology see crescent 1) and disc (also waning or waxing moon).
  2) In heraldry the term used for a crescent that is placed with its horns pointing upward – but see notes below and crescent 2).

  Flag of Čepin, Croatia; Flag of Waltenheim, France (former version); National Flag of Palau

  Notes
  a) With regard to 2), when a crescent moon is shown with its horns towards the dexter it is termed increscent or increment, towards the sinister decrescent or decrement, and towards the base inverted or reversed, when however, it is shown full (usually with a face) the term used is per complement.
  b) A crescent with a face is occasionally seen in European heraldry, and it is not entirely unknown in English heraldic practice – see figured.

  Flag of Boswil, Switzerland

MORNING COLOURS (or COLORS)
  See colours 5).

  Naval Ensign, UK; Naval Ensign South Africa 1952–1981

MORSE CODE SIGNALLING WITH FLAGS
  1) The current system of signalling with flags (or with the arms alone in the absence of flags) using the Morse code, where if hand-held vertically (above the head) they signify dots and if held horizontally (at shoulder level) dashes (see also international code of signals, semaphore and wigwag).
  2) A system, now obsolete, of signalling with a single flag using the Morse code, where short waves signified dots and long waves dashes – signalling by flag waving (see also semaphore and wigwag).

  Notes
  a) It is contained in the current (2005) Edition of the International Code of Signals, and 2) had reasonably widespread use in the field prior to radio, both between artillery batteries and forward observers, and for communication between naval and army units ashore.
  b) The 1937 (British) Admiralty Manual of Seamanship gave the Morse code flags as plain blue, or white with a blue horizontal stripe (against light or dark backgrounds respectively), but that other variants are known to have existed.

MORTARED
  In heraldry see masoned.

  Flag and Arms of Vrgorac, Croatia

MOTTO
  A word or phrase, sometimes in a classical language, usually inscribed on the scroll accompanying a coat of arms or state emblem, and originally derived from the war cry (see also Appendix IV, device 1) and scroll).

  "Evil Be To Him Who Evil Thinks", The Motto of the Order of the Garter in Old French, UK

MOUNT (MOUND or MOUNTAIN)
  The alternative heraldic terms for the base of a shield, banner of arms or a flag that forms a curve, and is generally (but not exclusively) tinctured vert in order to represent a grassed hillock – a mound or mountain – see compartment (also coupeau, tincture and vert).

  Flag of Brdovec, Croatia; Flag of Merenschwand, Switzerland; Flag of Zagreb, Croatia

MOUNT OF COUPEAU (or COUPEAUX)
  In heraldry see coupeau (also mount above).

  Flag of Kirchberg, Switzerland

MOURNING BUNTING (or FAN)
  In US – particularly fire fighting – usage, a length of gathered decorative fabric generally in black/purple (as a mourning version of the red-white-blue national bunting), and draped between two anchor points to signify mourning for the death of a colleague – see bunting 2) (also fan).

  Please note that these colours are also seen in flag form.

  Mourning/Funeral Flag, US

MOURNING FLAG
  An often (but not invariably) plain black flag of slightly varying design, displayed (sometimes unofficially) by organisations and persons to signify mourning for people or events, often (but not invariably) for political reasons – not to be confused with a mourning pennant, pall flag or funeral flag (see funeral flags, mourning pennant below and pall flag, also cravat 2), draping and half mast a flag).

  Mourning Flag: in widespread use; Mourning Flag, Vietnam; Mourning Flag, Denmark until 1743

MOURNING PENNANT
  In Western European usage, a largely black triangular pennant of slightly varying design, flown from the mainmast of vessels on inland waterways to signify mourning for the skipper or his spouse (see also mourning flag above).

  Catholic and Protestant Mourning Pennants (bosche-schiffsbedarf.de)

MOURNING RIBBON (or MOURNING CRAVAT)
  See draping (also cravat 2)).

  National Flag of Denmark Draped with a Mourning Ribbon/Cravat

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