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# Dictionary of Vexillology: U (Uma-Jirushi – US Executive Order)

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Last modified: 2026-07-11 by martin karner
Keywords: vexillological terms |
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On this page:

- UMA-JIRUSHI
- UNCASE(D)
- UNDEFACED
- UNDULATING
- UNDY (or UNDE)
- UNEQUAL BICOLOUR (or UNEVEN BICOLOUR)
- UNEQUAL TRIBAND (or UNEVEN TRIBAND)
- UNEQUAL TRICOLOUR (or UNEVEN TRICOLOUR)
- UNFURL(ED)
- UNGULED
- UNICOLOUR/UNICOLOURED (or UNICOLOUR/UNICOLORED)
- UNICORN
- UNION, THE
- UNION FLAG
- UNION JACK
- UNION MARK
- UNION PENDANT
- UNION PENNANT (UNION VIMPEL or WIMPEL)
- UNION STANDARD
- UNIQUE FLAG (or UNIQUE EXAMPLE)
- UNIT COLOUR (or COLOR)
- UNIT DESIGNATION
- UNIT FLAG
- UNOFFICIAL FLAG
- UNREP (UNDERWAY REPLENISHMENT) FLAG
- UPPER FLY (or UPPER FLY CANTON)
- UPPER HOIST (or UPPER HOIST CANTON)
- UPRIGHT
- UPRIGHT CENTRED CROSS
- UPRIGHT PALL
- UPRIGHT PILE
- UPRIGHT TRIANGLE
- UPROOTED
- URBAN CROWN
- URDY (or URDÉ)
- URINANT
- US EXECUTIVE ORDER

UMA-JIRUSHI
  See daimyo flags 1) and its following notes.

  Uma Jirushi/Personal Flag of Houjou Ujiyasu 1516–1571, Japan

UNCASE(D)
  1) (v) To remove a regimental, unit, service or national colour (or occasionally a parade flag), usually with the appropriate ceremony, from its protective case (see also case(d), dislodging).
  2) (adj) The term used when a regimental, unit or national colour (or occasionally a parade flag) has been removed from its case (see also parade flag 2), unfurl(ed)).

UNDEFACED
  (adj) The term used to describe a flag which may (and sometimes does) carry authorized additions, but in this case is seen without any such additions – see defaced (also blue ensign, red ensign, template flag).

  Reserve Ensign, UK; Reserve Ensign, India; Reserve Ensign, Sri Lanka

UNDULATING
  In heraldry see wavy.

  Flag of Mikolayiv County, Ukraine

UNDY (or UNDE)
  Alternative heraldic terms for wavy (see also nebuly).

  Flag of L’Aldea, Spain

UNEQUAL BICOLOUR (or UNEVEN BICOLOUR)
  Alternative terms that may be used when a bicolour is composed of stripes whose widths are not equal – but see bicolor 1).

  Ground Forces Flag, China; National Flag of Portugal; Flag of Armyans'k, Ukraine

UNEQUAL TRIBAND (or UNEVEN TRIBAND)
  Alternative terms that may be used when a triband is composed of stripes whose widths are not equal – but see the note below and triband 1) with its following note b) (also canadian pale, spanish-style triband, unequal tricolour below).

  National Flag of Laos; Flag of Kensington, Canada; Flag of Albrechtice nad Orlicí, Czechia

  Please note that a triband having a single stripe which is narrower than one-third of its width (as on that of the Armenian SSR illustrated below) may also (and perhaps should) be considered as a plain flag bearing such a stripe.

  Flag of the Armenian SSR 1952–1991

UNEQUAL TRICOLOUR (or UNEVEN TRICOLOUR)
  Alternative terms that may be used when a tricolour is composed of stripes whose widths are not equal – but see tricolour 1) and its notes d) and e) (also unequal triband above).

  Civil Flag of Ecuador; Flag of Albrechtičky, Czech Republic; Flag of Charqueadas, Brazil

UNFURL(ED)
  1) (v & adj) Generically, to hoist, break out or show (or to have hoisted, broken out or shown) a flag (or flags) that have not been displayed until that moment (see also break a flag, hoist 3)).
  2) (v & adj) To unwind (or to have completed the unwinding of) a colour or parade flag from its staff after it has been uncased (see also colour 2), furl(ed), parade flag 2)).

UNGULED
  In heraldry a term that covers the nails, claws talons or hoofs of birds/beasts, and is used only when these are of a different tincture from its body (see also armed, armed and langued, membered).

  Flag of Saverne, France; Arms of South Yorkshire County Council, UK; Flag Schaffhausen, Switzerland

UNICOLOUR/UNICOLOURED (or UNICOLOUR/UNICOLORED)
  See monocolour.

  National flag of Libya 1977–2011; Flag of Partido de la Sierra en Tobalina, Spain

UNICORN
  See heraldic beasts.

  Arms and Flag of Nova Bukovica, Croatia

UNION, THE
  1) Specifically in US usage, the canton of the US national flag – i.e. 13 – 50 white stars on a blue field (see also stars and stripes, union jack 3), union mark).
  2) Generically, see canton 2) (also union mark).

  Canton of the National Flag/National Jack, US; National Flag of Anguilla

UNION FLAG
  1) Specifically in UK usage, a precise term for the British national flag when flown on land – but see union jack 1) and union jack 2) below.
  2) Generically, the term that may be used when a flag symbolizes the political or economic union of two or more previously independent countries – for example those of the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia (as illustrated below) or Tanzania (see also union mark).

  National Flag of the United Kingdom; National Flag of Malaysia

UNION JACK
  1) A general and officially recognized term for the British national flag whether flown on land or sea – but see union flag 1) and "union jack 2)" (also british flag, gore, great union, interlaced, james union, national flag, st andrew's cross 2), st george's cross 2), st patrick's cross, union mark).
  2) In UK usage, a precise term for the British national flag when flown as a jack from the bows of a British warship, from a yardarm to signal that a court martial is being held, or at the main masthead as the command flag of an Admiral of the Fleet – see union flag 1) (see also flag of command, his majesty’s jack, ‘jack’ and ‘naval jack’ under jack, masthead, yardarm).
  3) In US usage, the official term for the traditional US national jack, which is the canton from the national flag (see also union, the).

  Union Jack 1606–1801, England/UK; National Jack 1795–1818, US

  Notes
  a) The British national flag is legally (when undefaced) restricted to naval vessels whilst flown afloat (see also 'civil jack', 'government jack' and 'naval jack' under jack, pilot jack and undefaced).
  b) US merchant vessels are not forbidden by regulation to wear the union jack as described in 3) above, but (as far as can be discovered) they do not do so.

UNION MARK
  A symbol expressing the unification of two or more countries – such as that of the European Union or the former Norwegian-Swedish Union Mark – either employed alone or as an additional charge on a flag (see also conjoined, interlaced, union, union flag, "union jack" above).

  Norway-Sweden Union Mark and Naval Jack 1844–1905; Flag of the EU; Royal flag of Sweden 1844–1905

UNION PENDANT
  1. See budgee pendant.
  2. In English usage now obsolete, a term originally used to also describe what later became the common or tricolour pendant – see common pendant.

  The Union/Budgee Pendant c1700, UK

UNION PENNANT (UNION VIMPEL or WIMPEL)
  1. In UK usage, the terms employed to describe a trapezoidal pennant with a union at its hoist and a tricolour fly, which may be flown where a flagpole would otherwise be unused – a Union wimple or vimpel (see also english pennant, hoist 1), scottish pennant, trapezoid 2), welsh pennant, wimpel 1)).

  Union Pennant (Graham Bartram)

UNION STANDARD
  In British military usage, a term for one of three such standards each carried by the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals – the Household cavalry – and the equivalent of a normal cavalry guidon or infantry colour (see also colour 2), colours 2) and guidon 2), sovereign's standard).

  Reverse of The Union Standard of the Blues and Royals, UK (householdcavalry.info)

  Please note that the Blues and Royals (unlike the Life Guards) also carry a guidon in addition to the sovereign’s and union standards due to their amalgamation with the Royal Dragoons in 1969.

UNIQUE FLAG (or UNIQUE EXAMPLE)
  A flag intended in design and usage, to be the only one of its type.

  Main Banner of German Athletics Union 1880 (obverse and reverse)

  Please note that in East and Central European usage the ceremonial flag of a community is often created as a unique flag – see ceremonial flag 2).

UNIT COLOUR (or COLOR)
  See colour 2) and colours 2).

  Unit Colour of the 2nd Army Corps, 2nd Support Brigade, Greece

UNIT DESIGNATION
  The inscription on a colour that indicates the military group to which it belongs (see also colour 2).

  Colour of the 103rd Field Artillery with Unit Designation, US

UNIT FLAG
  1) See camp flag.
  2) See branch of service flag 2).

  Unit/Camp Flag of the Royal Army Medical Corps, UK; Unit/Branch of Service Flag of the Transportation Service, US

UNOFFICIAL FLAG
  A flag that has (or had) not been formally adopted by the relevant authority, but is (or has been) sold commercially, or exhibited by supporters or enthusiasts as representing a particular entity, institution or cause, as opposed to a design or type which is so authorized or for which there is (or has been) – see official flag 1) (also de facto 2), folk flag, institutional flags (unofficial).

  Unofficial Flag of Palmyra Atoll, US; Unofficial Flag of Da Nang City, Vietnam; Unofficial Flag of the Sami People, Norway

UNREP (UNDERWAY REPLENISHMENT) FLAG
  See battle flag 2).

  Unofficial Flag of USS Elliot (seaflags.us)

UPPER FLY (or UPPER FLY CANTON)
  In vexillology alternative terms for that quarter of a flag which occupies the upper fly – the second canton or quarter, or the upper fly canton (see also canton 3), fly 1)).

UPPER HOIST (or UPPER HOIST CANTON)
  In vexillology alternative terms for that quarter of a flag which occupies the upper hoist, the canton – the first canton or quarter, or the upper hoist canton (see also canton 1), canton 3), hoist 1)).

UPRIGHT
  1) On flags a term which may be used when a charge or charges, that are more usually placed horizontally or diagonally, are shown with a vertical orientation (see also pall, pile).
  2) In heraldry a term that may be applied (in place of rampant or its equivalent) to the orientation of charges representing crustaceans or reptiles.

  Flag and Arms of Rakovica, Croatia; Fuehrer’s Standard 1935–1945, Germany

UPRIGHT CENTRED CROSS
  See cross 1).

  Flag of Smiltene, Latvia

UPRIGHT PALL
  See pall 1).

  Flag of Arilje, Serbia

UPRIGHT PILE
  See pile 1).

  Flag of Merida, Venezuela

UPRIGHT TRIANGLE
  See triangle 2).

  Flag of Minas Gerais, Brazil

UPROOTED
  In heraldry see eradicated.

  Arms and Flag of Bukovany, Czechia

URBAN CROWN
  See mural crown 1) and 2).

  Former flag of Cherbourg, France Arms of Kel'nemtsy, Ukraine

URDY (or URDÉ)
  The heraldic terms used when the division line on a shield (or any quartering thereof), or the edge of an ordinary is cut into a series of bell-like projections – a vair moulding.

  Flag of Søgne, Norway; Flag of Skaun, Norway

URINANT
  The heraldic term used when the head of a fish points downward – see finned, haurient, naiant.

  Arms of Nazaré, Portugal; Flag and Arms of Espinho, Portugal

US EXECUTIVE ORDER
  See executive order.

  National Flag of the USA

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