ensign

Etymology

From Middle English ensigne, from Old French enseigne, from Latin īnsignia, nominative plural of īnsigne, meaning marked, distinguished. Doublet of insignia.

noun

1. A badge of office, rank, or power.
   The Ensigns of our Power about we bear; / And every Land pays Tribute to the Fair. 1690, Edmund Waller, The Maid’s Tragedy, Alter’d by Mr Waller, page 8
2. The lowest grade of commissioned officer in the United States Navy, junior to a lieutenant junior grade.
3. A flag or banner carried by military units; a standard or color/colour.
4. (nautical) The principal flag or banner flown by a ship (usually at the stern) to indicate nationality.
   But Alcibiades swiftly ran up the Athenian ensign on his flagship and bore down on that part of the Peloponnesian fleet which held the advantage and was pursuing the Athenians. 1960 [a. 120], Ian Scott-Kilvert, “Life of Alcibiades”, in The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives, translation of original by Plutarch
5. Any prominent flag or banner.
6. (historical) A junior commissioned officer in the 18th and 19th centuries whose duty was to carry the unit's ensign.

verb

1. (obsolete) To designate as by an ensign.
   HENRY but ioyn’d the Roses, that ensign’d / Particular families, but this hath ioyn’d / The Rose and Thistle, 1610, Ben Jonson, The Speeches at Prince Henry's Barriers
2. To distinguish by a mark or ornament.
3. (heraldry) To distinguish by an ornament, especially by a crown.
   Any charge which has a crown immediately above or upon it, is said to be ensigned.