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# Dictionary of Vexillology: A (Abased – Advertising Pulldown)

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Last modified: 2026-04-25 by martin karner
Keywords: vexillological terms |
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- Introduction
- Table of Contents
- Index of Terms
- Next Page

On this page:

- ABASED
- ABATEMENTS
- ABEYANCE
- ABOVE
- ABSENCE PENNANT (or ABSENTEE PENNANT)
- ACADEMIC FLAG
- ACCOLÉ
- ACCORNÉ
- ACCOSTED
- ACCRETION
- ACHIEVEMENT (OF ARMS)
- ACHROME
- ACORN (or ACORNED) CROSS
- ACTION PENNANT
- ACTIVE
- ACTIVE AND INACTIVE
- ADDITION(S) OF HONOUR (or HONOR)
- ADDORSED
- ADDRESS GROUP
- ADMIRAL'S FLAG
- ADMIRALTY CROWN
- ADMIRALTY FLAG
- ADMIRALTY WARRANT
- ADMIRAL WITHOUT DISTINCTION OF COLOUR
- ADORNED
- ADVANCE THE COLOUR/COLOURS (or COLOR/COLORS)
- ADVENT CROSS
- ADVERTISING BANNER
- ADVERTISING PULLDOWN (or PULL-DOWN)

ABASED
  1) In vexillology a term that can be used when a shield or emblem is not centred on the horizontal meridian of the flag or panel/canton it occupies, but placed in a lower position– see canton 2). centred, emblem, meridian and shield 1).
  2) The heraldic term for when a chevron, fesse or other ordinary, is borne lower than its usual situation – see ordinary and the note below.

  Flag of Olszyna, Poland; Flag of Vaulruz, Switzerland; Flag of Brandenburg, Germany

  Please note that when charges, other than the ordinaries referred above, are placed low down on the shield or banner of arms are said to be in base.

ABATEMENTS
  A heraldic term that covers the various symbols of disgrace appearing on (or disfiguring) the arms of those guilty of a dishonourable act – staynande colours (see also stains and coward with their following notes).

  Examples (internationalheraldry.com)

  Notes
  1) There is no evidence that these symbols were anything other than theoretical, and in addition:
  2) A detailed description of them is beyond the remit of this Dictionary, so the Editors suggest that a suitable work on heraldry be consulted if further information is required.

ABEYANCE
  See in abeyance.

  Former First Class Commodore's Broad Pennant, UK

ABOVE
  1) In vexillology a term used when a charge (or charges) is (or are) placed at the top of, or immediately above another – but see above 2) and surmounted by 1) (also charge 1)).
  2) In heraldry, see ensigned.

  National Flag of Zambia; National Flag of Malawi; Flag of The Rifles (in Gloucester), UK

ABSENCE PENNANT (or ABSENTEE PENNANT)
  1) In widespread naval usage, one of four pennants (the first to the fourth substitute in the NATO Code of Signals) displayed (from the port or starboard yardarm) in port when the commanding officer of a ship or the flag officer or civil official whose flag has been flying in that ship is temporarily absent from the vessel (see also international code of signal flags, international code of signals and substitute).
  2) See owner absent flag.

  First Substitute (Flag Officer Absent), Second Substitute (Chief of Staff Absent), Third Substitute (Captain Absent), Fourth Substitute (Civil/Military Official Absent) (International Code of Signals)

ACADEMIC FLAG
  The flag of an educational institution – a university, college or school (see also institutional flags (official), institutional flags (unofficial) and sports flag 2)).

  Flag of American University, U.S.; Arms of Mansfield College, Oxford Univ., U.K.; Flag of University of Pretoria, South Africa

ACCOLÉ
  An alternative heraldic term to gorged.

  Flag of Chénens, Switzerland; Arms of Ourém, Portugal; Flag of Elgg, Switzerland

ACCORNÉ
  An alternative heraldic term to attired.

  Flag of Blížejov, Czechia; Flag of Gotland, Sweden

ACCOSTED
  A heraldic term that can be used when charges are placed either side of another – but see flanked and its following note.

  Flag of Fiñana, Spain; Arms and Flag of Venda Nova e Pondras, Portugal

ACCRETION
  A term sometimes used by textile experts involved in fabric conservation, and describes the soiling, mildew damage or other defects that occur on the surface of a flag.

ACHIEVEMENT (OF ARMS)
  1) In heraldry see armorial bearings.
  2) In strict heraldic practice all the armorial bearings of a deceased person as displayed at that person’s funeral – a funeral achievement or hatchment (see also armorial bearings, badge banner, bannerole, coat of arms, great banner and grumphion).

  Achievement of Arms/Armorial Bearings of Barbados and of Guyana; Achievement of Arms/Armorial Bearings of the Late Sir Winston Churchill, UK (Churchill Society [retrieved])

  Please note with regard to 2) that if all the armorial bearings of a deceased person are displayed on a flag they become a great banner, or if less than all a bannerole, both as referenced above.

ACHROME
  The French for colourless – but see monochrome 1).

  Achromatic illustration (Tomislav Todorovic)

ACORN (or ACORNED) CROSS
  In largely South European heraldry, the alternative terms used to describe a Greek Cross adorned with acorns, and symbolic of St Anthony in the Portuguese tradition – a term, as far as can be discovered, unknown in English heraldry (see also cross tau and Greek cross).

  Flag and Arms of Santo António dos Cavaleiros e Frielas, Portugal; Flag of former Sé (until 2012), Portugal

ACTION PENNANT
  See paying off pennant.

ACTIVE
  In vexillology a term that may be used to describe when the rays of a star or sun emblem are shown with undulating or wavy curves – see active and inactive below and inactive (also radiating, rays 1), star and its following note, sunburst, sun emblem and wavy).

  National Flag of Kyrgyzstan 1992–2023; Unofficial Flag of Guadeloupe (Banner of Arms); Flag of Ennetbürgen, Switzerland

ACTIVE AND INACTIVE
  In vexillology a term that may be used to describe when the rays of a star or sun emblem are shown with alternating wavy and straight rays – but see sun-in-splendour (also active above, inactive, rays 1), star and its following note, sunburst, sun emblem and wavy).

  National Flag of Argentina; National Emblem and Flag of Uruguay

ADDITION(S) OF HONOUR (or HONOR)
  See augmentation of honour.

  Arms and Government Ensign of Malta 1943–1964

ADDORSED
  1) The heraldic term used when two animals are turned back to back – endorsed – but see 2) below and averted.
  2) The heraldic term also used when two charges are turned outwards – endorsed (see also charge 1)).

  Flag of Ferrette, France; Former Flag of Aure, Norway; Flag of Schmerikon, Switzerland

ADDRESS GROUP
  In US naval usage and in some others, the group of signal flags displayed by a vessel with a flag officer or unit commander embarked, and flown (together with a call sign hoist) when entering or leaving harbour – see call sign hoist (also signal flag and signal hoist).

  Address Group of the Commander, Second Fleet, US (NATO Numeral Flags, ICS Number 2)

ADMIRAL'S FLAG
  See flag of command 1).

  Command Flags of an Admiral, Vice-Admiral, and Rear-Admiral, Austria-Hungary 1894–1915

ADMIRALTY CROWN
  In UK usage an alternative term for the naval crown.

  Flag and Badge of the Sea Scouts, UK (fotw & official website)

ADMIRALTY FLAG
  1) Specifically in UK usage see anchor flag 2) (also fouled anchor).
  2) Generically the flag, usually (but not exclusively) flown ashore, which represents a maritime authority (see also state ensign 2)).

  Flag of the Admiralty Board, UK; Flag of the Naval Board, New Zealand; Flag of the Admiralty; Thailand

ADMIRALTY WARRANT
  See warrant and its following note.

  Ensign and Burgee of the Royal Mersey Yacht Club, UK

ADMIRAL WITHOUT DISTINCTION OF COLOUR
  See yellow admiral.

ADORNED
  1) In heraldry see garnished.
  2) The heraldic term that may also be used in place of garnished when a hat, or other item of clothing is usually (but not invariably) decorated in a different tincture (see also vested).

  Flag of Vlissingen, The Netherlands; Flag of Winikon, Switzerland; Flag of Múrias, Portugal

ADVANCE THE COLOUR/COLOURS (or COLOR/COLORS)
  (v) A military term originally for moving a flag forward towards an enemy, and now used on ceremonial occasions as a command to parade the colour(s) forward (see also colour 2), colours 2), and parade flag).

ADVENT CROSS
  In heraldry see cross tau.

  Flag of St. Antönien-Ascharina, Switzerland

ADVERTISING BANNER
  See banner 5).

ADVERTISING PULLDOWN (or PULL-DOWN)
  See pulldown.

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