Ensign

How to spell ensign

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce ensign

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does ensign mean?

1. nounA flag flown by a ship or aircraft to show its nationality, especially a naval flag.
2. nounA junior commissioned officer in the navy, the lowest such rank in the United States Navy.

Ensign in a sentence

• The warship lowered its ensign at sunset as part of the daily ceremony.

• After graduating from the academy she was commissioned as an ensign in the navy.

• The white ensign flapped from the stern of the patrol vessel.

• The young ensign reported to the bridge for his first watch.

Where does ensign come from?

Language of origin: French

This word came into English in the 1300s from the Old French enseigne, which meant a sign, a token, or a banner. The French form descended from the Latin insignia, the plural of insigne, meaning a badge or distinguishing mark, which itself was built from in- (on, into) and signum (a sign or mark). The original sense in English covered any emblem or badge of office, but it narrowed over time to mean specifically a flag, particularly the national flag flown by a ship. By the 1500s the same word also named the soldier who carried the company banner, and from that office grew the modern military and naval rank. The shared signum root links ensign to a whole family of everyday words such as sign, signal, and signature, and remembering that hidden sign inside the word is the easiest way to keep the spelling straight.

How the word is built

• en- (in, from Latin in-)
• sign (mark, badge, from Latin signum)