Glossary
- field
- The background of a flag made up of a solid color; often called the “ground”
- charged
- an emblem or design placed on the field of a flag
- hoist
- the vertical width of the flag; the side of the flag closest the pike (flagpole)
- fly
- the horizontal length of the flag; the free end of the flag
- dexter
- the right side of the flag to a shield bearer, the left side of the flag to an observer
This site will typically use left/right instead of dexter/sinister for clarity - sinister
- the left side of the flag to a shield bearer, the right side of the flag to an observer
This site will typically use left/right instead of dexter/sinister for clarity - obverse
- the front face of a flag with the hoist (and pike) to the left of the observer
- reverse
- the back face of a flag with the hoist (and pike) to the right of the observer
- triband
- a flag featuring three parallel stripes (vertical or horizontal) of two colors
- tricolor
- a flag featuring three parallel stripes (vertical or horizontal) of three colors
- bicolor
- a flag featuring two parallel stripes (vertical or horizontal) of differing color
- quadrisection
- a flag divided into four equal sections often with alternating colors; each quarter is called a canton
- canton
- one of the quarters of a flag; most commonly used to describe the first canton (upper hoist canton)
- chief
- the top horizontal section of a flag or shield
- bend
- a diagonal stripe of color extending from corner to corner
- saltire
- a diagonal cross extending from corner to corner
- cross
- two stripes of the same color intersected at right angles
- cross bottany
- a cross with ends of trefoils (three circles)
- stripe
- a solid band of color extending to at least one flag edge
- border (outer)
- a band of color surrounding a field (panel) of another color; outer borders touch the edges of the flag
- border (inner)
- a border positioned inside another border
- panel
- area of a flag surrounded by a border
- fimbriated
- separating one area from another with a thin band or line of color, usually white
- chevron
- a V-shaped band of color
- broad pennant
- a flag with the fly-end cut into a swallowtail
- Cable color
- a number corresponding to a fabric swatch color from The Standard Color Reference of America, produced by The Color Association of the United States
- Pantone color
- color values from the Pantone Matching System (PMS)
