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# Dictionary of Vexillology: I (Inglefield Clip – International Flags)

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

- INGLEFIELD CLIP
- INGRAILED
- INNER BORDER
- INNER CANTON
- INNER EDGE
- INSET (or IN-SET)
- INSET BORDER
- INSIGNE (or INSIGNUM)
- INSIGNIA
- INSIGNIA-BANNER
- INSTALLATION FLAG
- INSTITUTIONAL FLAG/PENNANT (OFFICIAL)
- INSTITUTIONAL FLAG/PENNANT (UNOFFICIAL)
- INSURANCE FLAG (or PENNANT)
- INTERLACED (or INTERFRETTED)
- INTERMENT FLAG
- INTERNAL PROPORTIONS
- INTERNATIONAL CODE OF SIGNAL FLAGS (or ICS FLAGS)
- INTERNATIONAL CODE OF SIGNALS (or ICS)
- INTERNATIONAL COLOUR (or COLOR) CODE
- INTERNATIONAL FLAG

INGLEFIELD CLIP
  An elongated clip (usually of bronze, but also of a tough synthetic material) with an eye and double-tapered gap in the beak part, making it easy for two to be clipped together. The clips, spliced to the ends of halyards, are swivelled to allow the halyards to move freely. With similar Inglefield clips spliced to the ends of the hoist lines attached to flags, it allows for rapid and easy hoisting, especially of signal flags – see grommet 1) (also Appendix I, clip and grommet, splice).

  Please note that these clips were patented in 1890 by Lieut. (later Admiral) Edward Fitzmaurice Inglefield, RN, when serving as a signals officer in the British Mediterranean Fleet.

INGRAILED
  An alternative heraldic term to engrailed.

  Flag of Beersel, Belgium

INNER BORDER
  1) The term that may be used when one border appears within, or next to an outer border (also inset border).
  2) See inset border.

  Naval Jack 1790–1794, France; Flag of a Staff Admiral, Croatia; Car Flag for State Secretaries, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany

INNER CANTON
  In UK usage, that term for an area within the canton equal to one-sixth of the flag’s total area – see canton 1) (also canton 2)).

INNER EDGE
  A term that may be used in describing the edge of a hanging flag that is closest to the building to which the pole is attached, and equivalent to the bottom edge of a conventionally hoisted flag (see also outer edge).

  Please note that this term has been introduced by the Editors as no established alternative could be found.

INSET (or IN-SET)
  The term used when a charge or charges are set away from the edges of a flag or the panel they occupy, but not in the centre of that same flag or panel – for examples see the illustration (with an inset red chevron) below and inset border below (also centred, double tressure, off-set towards, orle).

  Flag of Josefův Důl, Czechia; Flag of Elmira District Secondary School, Canada

INSET BORDER
  In vexillology the term for an unbroken border that is inset from the edges of a flag – an inner border – but see orle 1) (also double tressure, inner border, tressure).

  Sultan’s Standard, Oman; Flag of the Portland & Asiatic Steamship Co., US

INSIGNE (or INSIGNUM)
  Medieval terms for a flag, banner or ensign (see also insignia).

  Speculative English Flag c1405

INSIGNIA
  A term for the emblems of rank and distinction sometimes applied in the Middle Ages to flags of varying sorts, and from which the word ensign probably derives (see also ensign 5) and insigne).

INSIGNIA-BANNER
  The term from which ensign-banner was possibly derived.

INSTALLATION FLAG
  In middle European and some other usage, a term for those flags presented at the installation of officials with vice-regal authority, and considered symbolic of their military responsibilities (see also coronation flags).

  Installation Flag of Ban (Viceroy) Josip Jelacic, Croatia 1848

INSTITUTIONAL FLAG/PENNANT (OFFICIAL)
  Those flags or pennants that have been officially granted and/or formally approved by the governing body/directing authority of an institution such as a university, college, sporting club or other similar entity, and are recorded as such in their official documentation or proprietary website (see also institutional flags (unofficial) below and official flag 1)).

  Flag of the University of Alberta, Canada; Flag of the University of Manitoba, Canada

  Please note that this category includes only those flags listed above, and that national, sub-national, personal and corporate flags as defined separately herein are specifically excluded (see also sports flag 2), civic flag).

INSTITUTIONAL FLAG/PENNANT (UNOFFICIAL)
  Those flags or pennants that purport to identify institutions, clubs and other entities, but which have not been formally approved by the relevant governing body or directing authority (see institutional flags (official) above and unofficial flag).

  Flags for Supporters of The Kansas City Chiefs American Football Team

  Notes
  a) It is a wide-spread practice, especially among North American Universities and sporting clubs worldwide, for faculty members, student bodies and supporters to display commercially manufactured flags which differ from those formally approved, and which must, therefore, be designated as unofficial.
  b) Whilst manufacturers may often have permission to use registered trademarks and logos of the organization concerned, this does not give the resulting flags official status (see also de facto).

INSURANCE FLAG (or PENNANT)
  The term for a 19th century flag (or pennant), now obsolete, usually showing a vessel’s insurance number and issued by the appropriate marine insurance company, association for mutual insurance or similar – a number flag.

  19th century Insurance/Number Flags from Rostock, Germany

  Please note that this is not an established term, but has been introduced by the Editors since no contemporary source describing such flags could be found.

INTERLACED (or INTERFRETTED)
  The alternative heraldic terms used when two or more charges are arranged so as to form the appearance of a united whole, as in the 1606 pattern of union jack or the symbol of the International Olympic Committee – braced, brased, embraced, fretted or entrelacé or interfretted (see also charge 1), fretty, union jack 1), union mark).

  Flag of International Olympic Committee; the 1606 Pattern of Union Flag, UK; Flag of TAAF

INTERMENT FLAG
  See pall flag.

  (military.com)

INTERNAL PROPORTIONS
  See proportions 2).

INTERNATIONAL CODE OF SIGNAL FLAGS (or ICS FLAGS)
  An internationally agreed set of flags of simple design to represent letters of the Roman alphabet and numeral pennants, that can be hoisted singly or in groups to convey meanings contained in the International Code of Signals (below) (see also blue peter, call sign hoist, code pennant, complement, diver below flag, flag of distress, make her number, numeral pennant, preparatory flag, pilot flag, quarantine flag, signal hoist, substitute, signal flag).

  Flags C (Charlie), E (Echo) and B (Bravo) in the International Code of Signals

INTERNATIONAL CODE OF SIGNALS (or ICS)
  A code of single and multiple groups of letters with internationally agreed meanings that can be transmitted by means of signal flags, radio or signal lanterns (see also complement, International Code of Signal Flags (above), numeral pennant).

  Notes
  a) The International Code of Signals was first introduced (as the Commercial Code of Signals) in 1857, and whilst it has gone through several revisions since that date, was also a further development of the code invented by Captain Frederick Marryat RN, first published in 1817 (Marryat’s Code) – see commercial code of signals, distinction pennant and Marryat's code.
  b) The ICS is currently published by the International Maritime Organization, and that all references to the code given in this Dictionary are taken from the 2005 Edition.

INTERNATIONAL COLOUR (or COLOR) CODE
  That code prescribed by the Federation Internationale des Associations Vexillogiques (FIAV) for use by the international vexillogical community, which lists the colours employed on flags – see note below.

  FAIV Code as used on FOTW and elsewhere (Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg)

  Please note that R = red, Y = yellow, V = green (from vert/verde etc, in the Romance languages), B = blue, O = orange, P = purple, G = grey, N = black (from noir/negro), W = white, Au = gold and Ag = silver. Lighter shades are indicated by a minus sign thus light blue, for example, becomes B-, and darker by a plus sign thus dark blue becomes B+ (with B++ being a very dark blue).

INTERNATIONAL FLAG
  1) The generic term for any flag that is recognized as having international significance, for more precise definitions however, see 2) below (also geneva convention flag, safe conduct flag, supra-national flag).
  2) The flag of an organization which represents the interests of a number of different countries, as in for example, that of the Organization of American States, the Association of South East Asian Nations or of OPEC, or that represents an international non-governmental organization such as the International Olympic Committee (see also sports flag 3).

  Flags FOTW, the Organization of American States and the Caribbean Community

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