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# Dictionary of Vexillology: V (Vexiferret – Vytis Cross)

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Last modified: 2026-04-25 by martin karner
Keywords: vexillological terms |
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- VEXIFERRET
- VEXIFERRETING
- VEXILLARIUS
- VEXILLARY
- VEXILLATION
- VEXILLATOR
- VEXILLATRY (or VEXILLOLATRY)
- VEXILLIFER
- VEXILLOBIBLIOPHILE
- VEXILLOGRAPHER
- VEXILLOGRAPHY
- VEXILLOHOBBYIST
- VEXILLOID
- VEXILLONAIRE
- VEXILLOPHILATELIST
- VEXILLOPHILE
- VEXILLOLOGIST
- VEXILLOLOGY
- VEXILLOPHILY
- VEXILLUM
- VEXILLUM REGALE
- VEXILLI ERECTIO
- VICTORY MARKINGS (or VICTORY DECALS)
- VIGILANT
- VIMPEL
- VINE
- VIRILED (VILLENÉ or VILENE)
- VISITING FLAG
- VISUAL CENTRE (or CENTER)
- VLAGGENSTOK WIMPEL
- VOID
- VOIDED
- VOIDED CROSS
- VOIDED LOZENGE
- VOIDED (or VOID) TRIANGLE
- VOL
- VOLANT
- VULNED (or VOULNED)
- VYTIS CROSS

VEXIFERRET
  A colloquial term for one who undertakes an assiduous search for (sometimes obscure) flag information (see also vexiferreting below and vexillologist).

VEXIFERRETING
  A colloquial term for the assiduous search for (sometimes obscure) flag information (see also vexiferret above and vexillologist).

VEXILLARIUS
  1) See vexillifer.
  2) A member of a Roman military unit (vexillatio) detached from the main force under a vexillum – but see vexillation (also vexillifer and vexillum).

VEXILLARY
  1) (adj) Of or pertaining to flags (see also vexillology).
  2) See vexillifer.

VEXILLATION
  Any detachment of soldiers serving under a vexillum – but see vexillarius 2) (also banderium, vexillifer and vexillum).

  Please note this term is taken directly from the Latin vexillatio being a detachment of soldiers as described above.

VEXILLATOR
  A 19th century term, now obsolete, for the standard bearer in a medieval mystery play.

VEXILLATRY (or VEXILLOLATRY)
  The treatment of a flag as a fetish or religious object.

VEXILLIFER
  The bearer of the vexillum (see also vexillarius 2) and vexillation)

  (firstlegionltd.com)

VEXILLOBIBLIOPHILE
  A person who loves and/or collects flag books (but see also vexillophile below).

VEXILLOGRAPHER
  A designer of flags, or the creator of a flag design.

VEXILLOGRAPHY
  The designing of flags, or the creation of a flag design.

VEXILLOHOBBYIST
  A collector of flags and/or artefacts concerning flags – but see vexillophile.

VEXILLOID
  1) A rigid emblem (such as a carved animal or similar) mounted on a pole, which fulfils the function of a flag but which is not a flag, and characteristic (but not exclusively so) of traditional societies – not to be confused with a tufa (see also cone flag, symbol 1), tugh and tufa).
  2) As above, but the forerunner of the flag as in the Nome standards of ancient Egypt, the Semeia of classical Greece or in the Eagles of a Roman legion – a proto-flag (see also eagle 2), Semeion, standard 4) and symbol 1)).
  3) See standard 6).

  Nome Standard of Djeb, Ancient Egypt (philae.nu)

VEXILLOPHILATELIST
  A student and/or collector of flag related postage stamps and/or of related information.

VEXILLOPHILE
  A collector of flags and/or of information regarding flags – a flag enthusiast but see vexillohobbyist (also vexillobibliophile).

VEXILLOLOGIST
  A student of vexillology (see also vexillology).

  The late (Rear Admiral) Andries Burgers SAN (ret)

VEXILLOLOGY
  The scholarly or scientific study of the history, symbolism and/or usage of flags – flag research or flag studies.

  Please note, the term was coined by Dr. Whitney Smith of the Flag Research Center (Massachusetts, USA) and based on the Latin vexillum (see also vexillologist and vexillum).

VEXILLONAIRE
  A person who is active in flag design or usage, or is engaged in promoting a specific agenda and/or point of view with regard to flags.

VEXILLOPHILY
  The collection of flags and/or of information regarding flags (see vexillophile above).

VEXILLUM
  An ancient Roman standard consisting of an often decorated (usually) red or purple cloth hung from a cross bar. It is considered to be the first true flag in Western culture, and from which the term vexillology is derived (see also vexillarius, vexillifer, vexillation and vexillology).

  Vexillum of the 13th Legion

  Please note however, that whilst frequently described as a cavalry standard (which it was), the vexillum also had a number of other military uses.

VEXILLUM REGALE
  A medieval term, now obsolete, for the royal standard – see royal standard 1).

  Vexillum Regale/Royal Standard of King Richard I c1290, England; Vexillum Regale/Royal Standard of King Alphonso III c1255, Portugal

  Please note that it is unclear whether the medieval chroniclers were referring to a banner of the royal arms as is common today, or to a standard of the heraldic pattern known to have been used by many English kings in the medieval period (see also standard 4)).

  Heraldic Standard of King Richard III c1484, England

VEXILLI ERECTIO
  A medieval term, now obsolete, for the fixing of banners or standards to the walls of a fortress (see also banner 1) and standard 4)).

VICTORY MARKINGS (or VICTORY DECALS)
  The emblems, often the relevant national flag or a detail therefrom, painted on the fuselage of military aircraft to record a victory in individual combat with that enemy – victory decals (see also aircraft markings).

  An Aircraft of WWII showing Victory Markings (wearethemighty.com)

  Please note that the practice was established in WWI, and includes victory markings applied to other pieces of military equipment as appropriate.

  Kill markings, German Artillery c1940 (ww2incolor.com)

VIGILANT
  The heraldic term sometimes used when a marsh bird (or occasionally – although incorrectly – a fowl) is shown with one foot raised, and (usually) holding a stone or other object.

  Flag of Jatznick, Germany; Flag of Martim Longo, Portugal; Flag of Jerichower County, Germany

VIMPEL
  See wimpel.

VINE
  The plant upon which (usually wine making) grapes are grown, and is almost invariably shown bearing bunches of those grapes.

  Flag of Zeiningen, Switzerland; Flag of Podlehnik, Slovenia; Flag of Berneck, Switzerland

VIRILED (VILLENÉ or VILENE)
  See priapic in its virility.

  Flag of Speicher, Switzerland

VISITING FLAG
  In New South Wales usage, now obsolete, the term for a plain blue flag hoisted (by the local pilot) aboard any visiting vessel prior to being boarded by a health inspector (see also quarantine flag).

  Please note that this flag was introduced in the 1840s, but the date upon which it became obsolete is unknown at the present time.

VISUAL CENTRE (or CENTER)
  The term used when a charge is not set in the exact geometric centre of a flag, section of flag or of the panel it occupies, or on a vertical or horizontal meridian of that flag, section or panel, but is placed as to appear so centred to the observer – but see note below (also centred, meridian, optical proportions and panel).

  Civil Ensign of Japan 1870–1999; Flag of Manitoba, Canada; Flag of Eusoff Hall, University of Singapore

  Please note that the examples given above show the pre-1999 merchant flag of Japan with its disc set slightly towards the hoist, the arms on the flag of Manitoba placed a little below the horizontal meridian and the flag of Eusoff Hall with a charge set on the vertical meridian but above the horizontal.

VLAGGENSTOK WIMPEL
  The Dutch term covering any wimple/pennant flown from a flagpole – see wimpel 1) and wimpel 2).

  Royal Wimpel, The Netherlands

VOID
  In heraldry see ajouré and open (also voided).

  Arms and Flag of São Miguel do Couto, Portugal

VOIDED
  A basically heraldic term that is applicable to any ordinary (or other charge) when the middle is removed so that the field of a shield or banner of arms may be seen through it (see also charge 2), cross-voided, mascle, ordinary and pierced 2)).

  Please note that in vexillology a voided cross such as shown above may, for example (and with equal accuracy) be described as “a red cross, fimbriated yellow on a red field” or similar.

VOIDED CROSS
  In heraldry see cross-voided.

  Flag of Nantes, France

VOIDED LOZENGE
  The term for lozenge from which the centre has been removed thus leaving an outline only – an open lozenge or lozenge-voided – see lozenge (also mascle and voided).

  Flag of Grandmaster 1775–1797, Sovereign Military Order of Malta; Flag of Morlanwelz, Belgium; Banner of Arms of the Rohan-Chabot family, Josselin, France

VOIDED (or VOID) TRIANGLE
  The alternative terms for a triangle from which the centre has been removed leaving an outline only – a triangle voided or void triangle (see also voided lozenge, triangle and voided).

  A flag of the Flemish National Union, Belgium); Low Visibility Roundel, Austria; Flag of the YMCA, Kosovo

VOL
  The French heraldic term for a pair of wings conjoined at the base and placed with the tips upwards or differently orientated, and sometimes (albeit incorrectly) used when only a single wing is shown – but see demi-vol and volant with its following note (also conjoined 1), plus rising and displayed).

  Flag of Šenkovec, Croatia; Air Force Flag of Ukraine; Air Force Flag (1937–1948), Taiwan

VOLANT
  The heraldic term for wings, and sometimes (but not invariably) used to signify that those wings are extended in a horizontal position as if in flight – but see note below (also vol above, plus rising and displayed).

  Flag of Einsiedeln, Switzerland; Flag of Smøla, Norway; Flag of Penha de Águia, Portugal

  Please note that these two terms (vol and volant) can have a rather complex use, and we suggest that a suitable glossary or dictionary of heraldry be consulted for further details.

VULNED (or VOULNED)
  The heraldic term for wounded and bleeding, which is often applied to a pelican – see See in her piety.

  Flag of Louisiana, U.S.

VYTIS CROSS
  In the Lithuanian tradition, a cross with two (evenly sized) horizontal arms crossing the vertical – see cross of Lorraine with its following note, and the note below.

  Naval Ensign 1927–1940, Lithuania; Aircraft Marking, Lithuania; Flag of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania c1580

  Please note that the Vytis (or White Knight) has been a symbol of Lithuania since the 14th century, and that he has borne this cross on his shield from the beginning.

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