Glossary of flag-related terms
bunting | canton | dipping the flag | ensign | finial | flagpole, flagstaff, staff | fly | foremast | fourth quarter | gaff | half-mast | halyard | heraldic | heraldry | hoist | mast | peak | pulley | running eye and toggle | second quarter | sleeve | standard(s) | third quarter | yardarm
When describing the details of a flag, it is assumed that the flag is flying from a staff with the flag flying towards the right as seen by the observer.
![Details of the Canadian flag: finial, canton (first quarter), sleeve, flagpole or staff, third quarter, halyard, pulley, toggle, hoist, running eye, bottom or foot, length of fly, second quarter, fly, fourth quarter, width of hoist](/content/dam/pch/images/services/flag-canada/details_drapeau_can-can_flag_details-eng.gif)
The canton in the National Flag of Canada is not apparent, but shows very clearly in the Canadian Forces Ensign.
![Canadian Forces ensign](/content/dam/pch/images/services/flag-canada/drapeau_forces_can-can_forces_flag.gif)
- bunting
- A soft, flimsy, loose-textured, plain-weave cloth most frequently used in flags. Bunting was originally made from cotton or worsted yarns, but today's flags are made primarily from nylon or acrylic fibers.
- canton
- The place of honour in a flag is the upper half of the hoist. It is also called the First Quarter and sometimes the Upper Hoist.
- dipping the flag
- Dipping a carried flag means lowering it from a vertical position to 45 degrees from the horizontal, or, even further, touching the ground. The National Flag, when carried, is never dipped or lowered to the ground.
- ensign
- A special flag based on a country's national flag and used exclusively on naval ships or merchant ships. The civil ensign is the merchant marine's flag.
- finial
- The decorative ornament on the top of a pike, staff or pole. May be in the form of a spear point, ball, maple leaf, crown, etc.
- flagpole, flagstaff, staff
- A cylindrical piece of wood or metal to which a flag is attached or from which it is hoisted.
- fly
- The half of a flag farthest from the halyard; also a synonym for length.
- foremast
- The mast nearest the bow of the ship.
- fourth quarter
- The lower half of the fly.
- gaff
- the spar or hook supporting or extending the upper edge of a four-sided sail.
- half-mast
- The position of the Flag when flying at half-mast will depend on its size, the length of the mast and its location; but, as a general rule, the centre of the Flag should be exactly half-way down the mast. When hoisted to or lowered from half-mast position, a flag should be first raised to the masthead.
- halyard
- The rope which raises or lowers a flag.
- heraldic
- Of or relating to heraldry.
- heraldry
- The activity of creating or studying coats of arms and of tracing and recording family histories.
- hoist
- The half of a flag nearest to the halyard; also a synonym for width.
- mast
- A long pole or spar of timber, iron or steel set upright on a ship's keel, to support the sails.
- peak
- The upper aftermost corner of a fore-and-aft sail.
- pulley
- Grooved wheel for the halyard to pass over, which permits the raising and lowering of a flag.
- running eye and toggle
- A method of hoisting a flag by means of a rope sewn into its heading, which has a wooden toggle at the top and a loop at the bottom that fasten to their opposites at the end of the halyard.
- second quarter
- The upper half of the fly.
- sleeve
- A tube of material along the hoist of a flag through which the staff or halyard is inserted.
- standard(s)
- A long narrow tapering flag that is personal to an individual or corporation and bears heraldic devices. The personal flag of the head of a state or of a member of a royal family. An organization flag carried by a mounted or motorized military unit.
- third quarter
- The lower half of the hoist; it is also called the Lower Hoist.
- yardarm
- Either end of the yard of a square-rigged ship.
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