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# Dictionary of Vexillology: G (Guardant – Gyrons)

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Last modified: 2026-04-11 by martin karner
Keywords: vexillological terms |
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On this page:

- GUARDANT
- GUBERNATORIAL FLAG
- GUEST ON BOARD FLAG (or GUEST FLAG)
- GUIDON
- GUIDON OF HONOUR/HONOR (or KING WILLIAM IV'S GUIDON)
- GUL(S) (or GULLS)
- GULES
- GUN SALUTE
- GUNTFANO
- GUTTÉ (or GUTTY)
- GYRONNY
- GYRONNY CROSS
- GYRONNY WAVY
- GYRON(S)

GUARDANT
  The heraldic term used when an animal has its face towards the onlooker – gardant (see also affronty and caboshed).

  Flag of the Duchy of Lancaster, UK; Flag of Häggenschwil, Switzerland; Flag of the Cinque Ports, UK

GUBERNATORIAL FLAG
  In US usage, the term for a flag which symbolizes the office of governor – a governor's flag – see governor's flag 1).

  Gubernational/Governor's Flags of Tennessee, Hawaii and California, US

GUEST ON BOARD FLAG (or GUEST FLAG)
  In US usage the practice, almost certainly obsolete, of flying a blue flag with a white descending diagonal stripe from the starboard yardarm (or spreader) of a pleasure vessel when a guest is on board but the owner is absent (see also descending diagonal, dinner flag, meal pennant, owner absent flag, yardarm).

  Guest on Board Flag, US

GUIDON
  1) In US and some other military usage, a small, generally swallow-tailed flag used by army formations below battalion level – company, battery, troop, platoon, detachment – and at group level in the air force (but see also fanion 2) and swallow tail(ed)).
  2) In UK and some other military usage, the swallow-tailed flag (sometimes double-tailed descate, descate or other variations) that is the cavalry equivalent of an infantry regimental colour, and still displayed on fighting vehicles by their successors (see also colour 2), cornet, chamfered swallow-tail, descate, double-tailed descate, guidon of honour hussar cut, rounded swallow-tail).
  3) A Scottish flag 2.40 m long, tapering to a rounded (or lanceolate) fly, it has a body in livery colours, with the owner's crest or badge at the hoist and his motto in the fly, and is used by lairds who have a following but are not peers or feudal barons – see pennon 3) (also badge in heraldry, lanceolate, livery colours, motto, pinsel).
  4) Generically, any small swallow-tailed flag.

  Guidon of the 511th Military Police Company, US (Tom Gregg); Guidon of the Blues and Royals, UK (Graham Bartram); Guidon of the Royal Gloucestershire Yeomanry 1797, UK

  Please note, some sources suggest that the term is derived from guide-homme (guide-man), but this remains unproven, and the similarity with the medieval terms ‘geton’, ‘giton’ or ‘gytton’ cannot be ignored.

GUIDON OF HONOUR/HONOR (or KING WILLIAM IV'S GUIDON)
  In UK military usage, a second guidon unique to the Royal Horse Guards (the Blues) and originally presented by HM King William IV in 1832 – King William IV's guidon (see also guidon 2)).

  Guidon of Honour (Klaus Michael Schneider)

GUL(S) (or GULLS)
  A term used to describe the individual segment or segments of a geometric carpet design and usually employed to describe those on the national flag of Turkmenistan.

  National Flag of Turkmenistan and enlarged detail

GULES
  A heraldic term for the colour red – see tinctures (also rule of tincture).

GUN SALUTE
  1) A form of saluting, ashore and afloat, in which 21 blank rounds are fired by artillery or naval guns to honour a country or its flag.
  2) A form of saluting in which an appropriate number of guns are fired to honour a head of state, other dignitary, or a senior officer, or the flag representing him (see also broad pennant, distinguishing flag 1), flag of command, flagship, rank flag 1)).

  Gun Salute, Holland ca. 1680 (Wikimedia); Gun Salute by the Royal Horse Artillery UK (Wikimedia)

  Notes
  a) With regard to 2), in UK RN and in some other usage during an exchange of such salutes, naval officers receive the number of guns appropriate to their rank – that is an Admiral of the Fleet/five star admiral/grand admiral – 19 guns; Admiral – 17 guns; Vice Admiral – 15 guns; Rear Admiral – 13 guns, whilst a Commodore receives 11 guns and a Captain only seven.
  b) In some countries a celebratory salute of as many as 101 guns may be fired at the birth of a royal heir or other occasion of national celebration (example: 50 guns at noon on 4 July at US Army posts), and that minute guns (that is one shot fired every minute) may be fired in connection with the death or funeral of a person entitled to a gun salute.

GUNTFANO
  A medieval term, now obsolete, for a gonfanon.

  Guntfano/Gonfanon of Eustache III of Auvergne c1100 (CS)

GUTTÉ (or GUTTY)
  Alternative heraldic terms covering gouttes.

  Flag and Arms of Samnanger, Norway

GYRONNY
  The heraldic term used when the field of a flag, a shield or any quartering thereof is divided into sectors (called gyrons or girons) radiating from or near the centre of the flag or shield – typically eight in heraldic practice, but an undetermined number on flags – Geronny or Gironné. See radiant, cross gyronny and gyron (plus compare with radiating, sector(s) 1), sectored 2), flammes). See supplemental note

  Flag of Santiago do Cacém, Portugal; Naval Jack of The Netherlands; Flag of Maia, Portugal

GYRONNY CROSS
  In heraldry see cross gyronny.

  Flag of Eelde, The Netherlands

GYRONNY WAVY
  A heraldic phrase covering the vexillological term flammes – see flammes 1).

  Flag of Mühlhausen (Mulhouse), Germany 1770–1798

GYRON(S)
  The heraldic term covering an individual segment (or group of segments) that make up the field of a shield or flag divided per gyronny – see gyronny.

  Example (Wikipedia); Flag and Arms of São Bernardo, Portugal

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