Word for the Wise : Flag
March 10th, 2010
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Author: June 14 is Flag Day, a day commemorating the official adoption of the U.S. Flag in 1777. As the original star-spangled banner turns 222, we look at the far longer history of the flag.
We don't know whether the very first flag was waved in ancient China or ancient India, but we do know that those standards (standard names the often elongated flag of an individual, cause, party, or unit, especially one serving as a rallying point) were used in both countries 1,000 years ago. In China, where the early royal flag was treated as if it were the king himself, touching the flag-bearer was a crime. In India, the flag was the first object of attack in battle, and its fall meant confusion if not
We don't know whether the very first flag was waved in ancient China or ancient India, but we do know that those standards (standard names the often elongated flag of an individual, cause, party, or unit, especially one serving as a rallying point) were used in both countries 1,000 years ago. In China, where the early royal flag was treated as if it were the king himself, touching the flag-bearer was a crime. In India, the flag was the first object of attack in battle, and its fall meant confusion if not
defeat.
The earliest known use of the word flag in English dates from 1530. Lexicographers theorize that the fabric flag takes its name from the floral flag, a loose grouping of plants that includes both the iris and the cattail.
Over the years, cloth flags have developed specific uses. A black flag has long symbolized pirates, and a yellow flag signals infectious illness. A red flag can be either a warning signal or an attention getter (especially irritated attention). A white flag is a flag of truce the world over, while a flag at half-mast is the universal symbol of mourning.
Want to flag us down? Our e-mail address is wftw@aol.com. Our street address is Word for the Wise, 318 Central Avenue, Albany, New York 12206.
Shawn Dudley is our audio engineer. Production and research support for Word for the Wise comes from Merriam-Webster, publisher of language reference books and CD's including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition.
The earliest known use of the word flag in English dates from 1530. Lexicographers theorize that the fabric flag takes its name from the floral flag, a loose grouping of plants that includes both the iris and the cattail.
Over the years, cloth flags have developed specific uses. A black flag has long symbolized pirates, and a yellow flag signals infectious illness. A red flag can be either a warning signal or an attention getter (especially irritated attention). A white flag is a flag of truce the world over, while a flag at half-mast is the universal symbol of mourning.
Want to flag us down? Our e-mail address is wftw@aol.com. Our street address is Word for the Wise, 318 Central Avenue, Albany, New York 12206.
Shawn Dudley is our audio engineer. Production and research support for Word for the Wise comes from Merriam-Webster, publisher of language reference books and CD's including Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition.
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