Ensigning

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The procedure of officially designating an entity or object using a flag or symbol serves to signify identity and allegiance in a formal manner
2. The act of placing a flag or emblem onto something to indicate ownership or association
3. Attaching a distinctive banner or symbol to an object as a formal sign of identification

Etymology: "Ensigning" is the present participle of "ensign," a verb meaning to mark something with flags or insignia. The verb grows from a noun that began as a battle banner. Middle English "ensigne" came from Old French "enseigne," which traces back to Latin "insignia," the plural of "insigne," meaning marked or distinguished. So the underlying idea is a thing set apart by a mark, and the flag itself was the mark. The noun and the Latin source are doublets of "insignia," which entered English directly from Latin and kept the plural form. "Ensign" took the longer road through French, so the two words share a root but reached English at different times and shifted in sense: one stayed a formal term for badges of office, while the other settled on the flag carried to show where a unit stood.