Oriflammes

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historical term for rich banners used in medieval France, often symbolizing battle standards
2. It refers to ceremonial flags that signify noble lineage and military might during conflicts
3. This term indicates flags associated with heraldry, representing both authority and the call to arms in military contexts

Etymology: The oriflamme was the sacred banner of the kings of France, a flag of red silk on a gold-coloured staff, carried into battle as a sign of royal authority and a summons to the army. The word itself is a plural, the form that names more than one such banner or the family of them, and it comes from Old French "oriflambe" and "oriflamme", which trace back to Medieval Latin "auriflamma", literally "golden flame." That compound joins Latin "aurum" (gold) and "flamma" (flame), a name that points to the gold-tipped staff and the flame-like shape of the silk. The banner's association with Saint-Denis, the abbey church north of Paris where French kings were traditionally buried, gave it its religious and political weight. Its meaning shifted over the centuries from a physical object tied to one abbey and one kingdom to a general image of a rallying flag, which is why the word now calls up both heraldry and the battlefield.