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Dictionary of Vexillology: N (Naiant - Navy Flag)

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NAIANT (or NATANT)
NAIL (or NAILING) ONE’S COLOURS (COLORS or FLAG) TO THE MAST
NAILS (or NAILING)
NAINANT
NAISSANT (or NASCENT)
NAME PENNANT
NARROW PENNANT
NATANT
NATIONAL ARMS (or COAT OF ARMS)
NATIONAL BANNER
NATIONAL COLOUR (or COLOR)
NATIONAL COLOURS (or COLORS)
NATIONAL EMBLEM
NATIONAL FLAG
NATIONAL ORNAMENT
NATIONAL PENNANT (or WIMPEL)
NATIONAL SERVICE FLAG (or BANNER)
NATIONAL SYMBOLS
NATIONALLY-CANTONED FLAG
NATURAL
NAVAL CROWN
NAVAL ENSIGN
NAVAL FLAG/PENNANT
NAVAL JACK
NAVY FLAG/ENSIGN

NAIANT (or NATANT)

See ‘appendix V’.

Flag of Nyon, Switzerland (fotw)

NAIL (or NAILING) ONE’S COLOURS (COLORS or FLAG) TO THE MAST

In British RN and some other usage, the term (employed as a metaphor for taking an irrevocable action) which refers to a ship’s ensign being nailed to the mast before or during an engagement at sea, thus making it impossible to strike (or lower) it in surrender (see also ‘strike’).

NAILS (or NAILING)

1) (n) One means by which a colour or parade flag is sometimes fixed – often by a precisely regulated number of nails - to its staff (see also ‘colour 2)’, ‘colours 2)’, ‘parade flag’, ‘sleeve’, ‘tab’ and ‘ties’).

2) (adj) The act, sometimes ceremonial, of attaching a colour or parade flag to is its staff by nails.

Infantry Colour, Germany 1936 (fotw)

NAINANT

A frequent misspelling of the heraldic term “naiant” – see ‘naiant’ in ‘Appendix V:’.

Arms and Flag of Kali, Croatia (fotw)

NAISSANT (or NASCENT)

The heraldic term for a charge or figure emerging from the side of a shield, banner of arms or a flag, or the centre of an ordinary – nascent – but see ‘issuant’ with following note (also ‘banner of arms’ and ‘ordinary’).

Flag of Gingins, Switzerland (fotw); Arms of Ostrów Wielkopolski, Poland (fotw); Flag of Chavannes-sur-Moudon, Switzerland (fotw); Arms and Flag of Makarska, Croatia (fotw)

NAME PENNANT

The term for a flag or pennant that bears the name of a ship or possibly a shipping company or an institution – an onomast.

The John Gibson, Barque, Nova Scotia, 1875 (fotw)

Notes
a) The (often unofficial) practice of flying such a flag or pennant aboard ship began in the 19th Century, and could now be largely (but certainly not entirely) obsolete.
b) The practice of displaying a name pennant is continued by some universities in the US - particularly at sporting venues (see also ‘institutional flags (unofficial)’ and ‘sports flag 2)’).

NARROW PENNANT

See ‘masthead pendant’.

Narrow/Masthead Pennant of Norway (fotw)

NATANT

See ‘naiant’ in appendix V.

Flag of Fischenthal, Switzerland (fotw)

NATIONAL ARMS (or COAT OF ARMS)

See ‘state arms’ under ‘arms’.

National Arms of Venezuela; National Arms of San Marino (fotw); National Arms of Montenegro (fotw); National Arms of Kenya (fotw)

NATIONAL BANNER

See ‘banner 8)’.

NATIONAL COLOUR (or COLOR)

1) See ‘colour 2)’.

2) Where only one colour is selected (generally one appearing on the flag) to be the national colour, as in for example the Rhododendron Red of Nepal.

National Colour (Army and Air Force), US (fotw)

NATIONAL COLOURS (or COLORS)

1) A plural form of ‘colour 2)’.

2) Usually the two or three principal colours of a national flag - for example, the blue, white and red / red, white and blue of France and the US, or the red and white of Poland - landesfarben (see also ‘cockade’, ‘livery colours’, ‘national symbols’, ‘roundel 1)’, ‘sash 1)’ and ‘state colours 3)’).

National Colours of Italy, the US, France and Poland

Please note with regard to 2) that the colours concerned need not necessarily be those of the relevant national flag, as in for example, the green chosen by Slovenia or the Australian national sporting colours of green and gold.

NATIONAL EMBLEM

See ‘emblem, state, national or Royal’ under ‘emblem’.

National Emblem of the Georgian SSR 1922 – 1990 (fotw); National /State Emblem of Yugoslavia 1963 – 1991 (fotw)

NATIONAL FLAG

1) A flag that represents an independent state, especially a nation-state.

2) A flag of a formerly independent state or of a non-independent national group (see also ‘tribal flag’)

3) That flag which is generally thought of as representing a state when specific circumstances of display are not considered – for example, some flag books might give a plain tricolour with stars as the national flag of Venezuela, whilst others may show the flag with arms as illustrated below (see also ‘tricolour 1)’).

Former National Flag of Tibet (fotw); Flags With and Without Arms, Venezuela (fotw) and Spain (fotw)

Notes
a) In some countries the national flag is available for use by all citizens. In other countries, however, the national flag is restricted to official use by law or custom, with a variant of it as a civil flag for use by private citizens.
b) The national flag may have other variants with specific uses on land and/or sea, and that these are herein listed separately according to type (see also those flags listed under ‘ensign’, as well as ‘civil flag’, ‘jack’, ‘state flag’ and ‘war flag’).

NATIONAL ORNAMENT

A decorative strip (usually placed along he hoist of a flag) intended to represent a folk or traditional element of national culture, and particularly prevalent among Eastern Slavic and Siberian states such as Belarus, Kazakhstan and Mariy El – see ‘folklore ornament’.

National Flag of Kazakhstan (fotw); National Flag of Belarus (fotw); Flag of Mariy El, Russian Federations (fotw)

NATIONAL PENNANT (or WIMPEL)

See ‘wimpel 1)’.

The National Pennant/Wimpel of Norway (fotw & CS)

NATIONAL SERVICE FLAG (or BANNER)

See ‘service flag 4)’.

single star service pennant
National Service/Sons in Service Flags US (fotw)

NATIONAL SYMBOLS

Those things, usually established by law, which have been adopted as being symbolic of a country, these may include the national flag, national coat of arms, emblem or seal, the national colours, the national anthem and possibly a plant, fruit, animal and/or a bird etc. (see also ‘national colours 2)’ and ‘state symbols 2)’).

Some National Symbols of India: National Flag, National Emblem, National Animal – Tiger, National Bird - Peacock and National Flower - Lotus (fotw and Official Website)

NATIONALLY-CANTONED FLAG

See ‘canton flag’.

Joint Service Flag, Jordan

NATURAL

See ‘proper’.

Arms and Flag of New York, US (fotw)

NAVAL CROWN

A crown generally (but not exclusively) formed from the sterns and square sails of ships placed upon a circle or fillet, and loosely based on an ancient Roman triumphal ornament of the same name (see also ‘civic crown’, ‘crown’, ‘fillet 3)’, ‘mural crown’ and ‘yachting crown’).

From left: UK (Parker), Italy (free.vector)

NAVAL ENSIGN

See under ‘ensign’.

Naval Ensigns: Croatia, Japan and the UK (fotw)

NAVAL FLAG/PENNANT

1) Generically any flag or pennant used in a solely naval environment.

2) Specifically flags such as jacks, masthead pennants, signal flags, rank flags and ensigns, except where the latter is also the national flag/war flag, flown exclusively by naval vessels and naval shore establishments (see also ‘jack’, ‘masthead pennant’, ‘naval ensign’ under ‘ensign’, ‘navy flag’ and ‘suit of colours’).

Naval Jack of Spain (fotw); Naval Ensign of Morocco (fotw); Signal Flag Numeral 1 in the RN/USN/NATO Code; Flag of Naval Group Commander, Morocco (fotw)

Please note that the Editors consider the generic definition in 1) as too broad to be employed with any accuracy and that the various flags/pennants listed in definition 2) and defined separately herein, should be preferred in description.

NAVAL JACK

See under ‘jack’).

Naval Jack of Russia (fotw)

NAVY FLAG/ENSIGN

See ‘branch of service flag’ (also ‘armed services flag’ and ‘naval ensign’ under ‘ensign’).

Navy Flag, Thailand (fotw); Navy Flag, The Philippines (fotw); Navy Flag, Venezuela (fotw); Navy Flag, Colombia (fotw)

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