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# Dictionary of Vexillology: F (Fracted – Fylfot)

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Last modified: 2026-05-16 by martin karner
Keywords: vexillological terms |
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On this page:

- FRACTED
- FRAME
- FRAMED FLAG
- FRAMED WIMPEL(S)
- FRANKLIN FLAG
- FRENCH SHIELD
- FRET
- FRETTED
- FRETTY (FRETE or FRETTÉ)
- FRIENDSHIP FLAG
- FRINGE
- FRUCTED
- FRUITED
- FULL ACHIEVEMENT OF ARMS
- FULL DRESSING
- FULL MAST (or FULL STAFF) A FLAG
- FULL MOON
- FUNERAL ACHIEVEMENT
- FUNERAL FLAGS (or PENNANTS)
- FURL(ED)
- FURS
- FUSELAGE MARKING
- FUSIL
- FUSILLY
- FUSILLY BENDY (or BENDY SINISTER)
- FYLFOT

FRACTED
  A heraldic term used when an ordinary, such as a bar, fess or chevron, is broken in one or more places.

  Flag of Leuggelbach, Switzerland; Arms and Flag of Markvartice, Czechia

FRAME
  1) The wood or metal bar by which the top edge of a flag is held – but see framed flag 1) below (also cross bar).
  2) In largely (but increasingly obsolete) maritime usage, this term may also describe the rod (attached to a ship’s mast or yard by lines) that is inserted into the heading of a streamer or pennant in order to stiffen it at the hoist – but see headstick (also command pennant with following notes, distinguishing vane, pennant 2), streamer 2) and vane 1)).

FRAMED FLAG
  1) A flag that is designed to be attached both along its hoist to the staff, and along its top to a side-mounted cross bar sometimes (mistakenly) called a gonfalon – see gonfalon 1) (also "frame" above and staff 2).
  2) See outrigger flag.

  Flags of Verhnya Bilka, Guta and Zhidachev, Ukraine

FRAMED WIMPEL(S)
  See flüger.

  Framed Wimpel/Flüger of the Hamburg Customs Flag (Klaus-Michael Schneider)

FRANKLIN FLAG
  An early (unofficial but used and with a variation in the order of the stripe’s colours – quite widely reproduced) pattern of the stars and stripes – the Serapis flag (see also Betsy Ross flag, continental colours, eagle standard, great star flags, old glory, star-spangled banner).

  The Franklin Pattern of Stars and Stripes and Variation, 1778

  Please note that this flag was first detailed by Benjamin Franklin whilst ambassador to Paris, flown in European waters by John Paul Jones and aboard the captured HMS Serapis, and was one of the first versions to gain international recognition.

FRENCH SHIELD
  The term, and a literal translation of Französischer Schild, sometimes used in German language vexillology to describe a rectangular shield.

  Please note that several of the terms giving shields a national identity, as well as those describing a specific type, are still in the process of standardization, and that no consistent approach has thus far been identified.

FRET
  The heraldic term for a figure composed of two diagonal bendlets interlaced with a mascle (or voided lozenge), and meant to represent a section of fishing net.

  Flag of Mont-de-l’Enclus, Belgium; Flag of Johannesburg, South Africa; Flag of Karmøy, Norway

FRETTED
  An alternative heraldic term for interlaced.

  Arms and flag of Sveta Nedelja, Croatia

FRETTY (FRETE or FRETTÉ)
  Alternative heraldic terms for a pattern of interlaced bars forming a diagonal trellis either overlapped or joined – but see latticed.

  Flag of Oulens-sous-Echallens, Switzerland; Flag of São João do Campo, Portugal

FRIENDSHIP FLAG
  A term that is used when two or more flag designs are combined into a single entity (see also combined flag, marshalling, union flag 1) and union mark).

  US-Canada Friendship Flag; US, Canada and Mexico Friendship Flag; US-UK Friendship Flag

FRINGE
  A decoration of twisted thread and/or metal often (but not invariably) attached to edges of a military colour, or of a flag intended for ceremonial and/or indoor use (see also colour 2), cravat, indoor flag and parade flag).

  Presidential standard of Kyrgyzstan; Indoor/Parade Flag of the Secretary of the Army, US; Colour of the Royal Guard 1904–1908, Serbia

FRUCTED
  In traditional heraldry the term used when a plant or the branch of a tree or the tree itself is bearing fruit, and generally shown in another tincture – but see fruited (also leaved).

  Flag of Ependes, Switzerland; Flag of Pinheiro de Ázere, Portugal; Flag of Wileroltigen, Switzerland

FRUITED
  In some modern heraldry and in vexillology, the term used when a plant or tree is bearing fruit – but see fructed.

  Flag of Viseu, Portugal

FULL ACHIEVEMENT OF ARMS
  See achievement of arms and armorial bearings.

  Flag of Gloucester, UK; Achievement of Arms/Armorial Bearings of the Late Sir Winston Churchill, UK (Churchill Society); Flag of Allerdale, UK

FULL DRESSING
  1) See dress ship, to 1) and dress ship, to 4).
  2) See dressing overall 2) and dressing overall 3).

  A Warship of the South African Navy Dressed Overall (Andries Burgers)

FULL MAST (or FULL STAFF) A FLAG
  (v & adj) To fly a flag in its normal position right up to the truck, a term generally used after a flag has spent a mourning period at half mast (see also flag pole, half mast and truck).

FULL MOON
  See disk, moon 2) with following note and per complement.

  Flag of Shan, Myanmar

FUNERAL ACHIEVEMENT
  See achievement of arms 2).

  Funeral Achievement/Armorial Bearings of the Late Sir Winston Churchill, UK (Churchill Society)

FUNERAL FLAGS (or PENNANTS)
  1) In US usage, those flags or pennants flown from the cars in a funeral cortege or procession, in order to facilitate keeping that cortege together and to help other drivers avoid breaking into it, not to be confused with a pall flag or with mourning flags (see also car flag, together with badge banner, bannerole, great banner, grumphion, livery banner).
  2) The term may also be used to describe those flags – often draped with a mourning ribbon – that are carried in a funeral cortege (see also draping, cravat 2)).

  Some Funeral Flags, US

FURL(ED)
  1) (v) To wind (roll up) a colour or parade flag around its staff before it is cased – usually done with ceremony (see also unfurl(ed), case(d), uncase(d), colour (2) and parade flag 2)).
  2) (adj) A flag is considered furled when hoisted in a rolled and/or folded condition prior to being broken out at the truck – see break a flag.

FURS
  In heraldry see ermine, potent 1), vair.

  Potent (Flag of Unhais-o-Velho, Portugal); Vair (Flag of Prahins, Switzerland); Ermine (Flag of Goëllo-Penthièvre, France)

FUSELAGE MARKING
  1) The term sometimes used to describe a non-circular emblem of nationality employed by some nations in the same way and for the same purpose as a roundel – but see the note below, roundel 1) and wing marking(s) 1) (also balkenkreuz, fin flash, iron cross and aircraft marking(s)).
  2) See roundel 1).

  Fuselage/Wing Marking of Botswana; Fuselage/Wing Marking of The Philippines; Fuselage/Wing Marking of Chile

  Notes
  a) The term "fuselage" only refers to the body of an aircraft and to those markings that appear thereon, so when these same emblems appear on the wings of an aircraft they are properly called "wing markings".
  b) In some types of aircraft the description "fuselage" can (technically speaking) include their tail plane/fin, but that the term given above should never be used to describe any markings shown thereon (see fin flash).

FUSIL
  The heraldic term for an elongated lozenge – see lozenge 2) (also square lozenge).

  Arms and Flag of Boldecker Land, Germany

FUSILLY
  An alternative heraldic term for lozengy – see lozengy 1).

  Shield and Flag of the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

FUSILLY BENDY (or BENDY SINISTER)
  In heraldry see lozengy bendy.

  Flag of the State of Bavaria, Germany

FYLFOT
  The heraldic term for a swastika.

  Flag of the Canadian Nazi Party 1933–1938

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