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Dictionary of Vexillology: M (Meal Pennant - Meteor Flag)

Last modified: 2015-06-29 by peter hans van den muijzenberg
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MEAL PENNANT
1) See ‘dinner flag’.
2) In US usage the practice, almost certainly obsolete, of flying a red triangular pennant from the port yardarm (or spreader) of a pleasure vessel when the crew are at meals – a crew’s meal pennant (see also ‘dinner flag’, ‘guest on board flag’, ‘owner absent flag’ and ‘yardarm’).

meal pennant
Meal Pennant, US (fotw)


MEATBALL
1) See ‘battle efficiency pennant’. 2) In US usage, now obsolete, a colloquial (and possibly derogatory) term for the national roundel of Japan see ‘roundel 1)’ (also ‘hinomaru’).

battle efficiency pennant Japanese roundel
Battle Efficiency Pennant (CS); National Roundel of Japan (fotw)


MEDIAN
See ‘meridian’.

[mdian]


MEDIATED
See ‘dimidiated’.

arms - Dobrodzień, Poland flag - Dobrodzień, Poland
Arms and Flag of Dobrodzień, Poland (fotw)


MEDIEVAL SAILING SHIP (or MEDIEVAL SAILING VESSEL)
See ‘cog’ and ‘nef’ (also ‘sailing ship’).

medieval sailing ship medieval sailing ship
Flag and Arms of São Bartolomeu dos Galegos e Moledo, Portugal (Klaus-Michael Schneider & ICH)


MEMBERED
The heraldic term used when the legs of a bird are of a different tincture from that of its body (see also ‘armed 2)’, ‘armed and langued’, ‘attired’, ‘beaked’, ‘langued’ and ‘tincture’).

flag - Biale Blota, Poland arms - Biale Blota, Poland Neuchâtel, Switzerland Bergenhusen, Germany Doppleschwand, Switzerland
Flag and Arms of Białe Błota, Poland (fotw); Flag of Neuchâtel, Switzerland (fotw); Flag of Bergenhusen, Germany (fotw); Flag of Doppleschwand, Switzerland (fotw)


MEMORIAL FLAG
1) In largely (but not exclusively) US usage, a small national flag (affixed to a short staff) which, on specified memorial occasions, is implanted on the graves at military cemeteries – a grave decoration flag.
2) A flag designed to memorialize one or more persons, or to express sympathy for people in a specific situation. Such flags may or may not be officially recognized, and are sometimes created by adding symbols or wording to a national or other recognized flag.
3) See ‘commemorative flag’.

POW-MIA flag 9/11 memorial flag 9/11 memorial flag 9/11 memorial flag
POW-MIA Flag, US and Canada (fotw) 9/11 Memorial Flags, US (fotw and Dave Martucci)


MENORAH
A seven-branch candlestick that is symbolic of Judaism, and is featured on the national arms, the Presidential Standards and some other flags of Israel (see also ‘Magen David’ and ‘presidential standard’).

[Presidential standard - Israel] [Presidential standard - Israel] [Arms of Israel]
Presidential Standards and National Arms, Israel (fotw)


MERCHANT ENSIGN
See ‘civil ensign’ under ‘ensign’.

[Merchant ensign] [Merchant ensign] [Merchant ensign]
Merchant/Civil Ensign of Saudi Arabia (fotw); Merchant/Civil Ensign of Croatia (fotw); Merchant/Civil Ensign of Malaysia (fotw)


MERCHANT FLAG
An alternative term, now largely obsolete, for the civil ensign -see ‘civil ensign’ under ‘ensign’ (also ‘ensign, the’).

[Merchant flag] [Merchant flag] [Merchant flag]
Merchant Flag of Spain 1785 – 1927 (fotw); Merchant Flag of Lucca 1818 – 1819 (fotw); Merchant Flag of Montenegro 1880 - 1918 (fotw)


MERCHANT JACK
An alternative term, now largely obsolete, for the civil jack (see ‘civil jack’ under ‘jack’).

[merchant jack example]  [merchant jack example]  [merchant jack example]
Merchant Jack of England/UK 1674 – 1824 (fotw); Merchant Jack of the Royal Africa Co., England/UK 1672 – 1752 (fotw); Merchant Jack of the Honourable East India Co, England/UK c1660 – 1863 (fotw)


MERCHANT MARK
The term, now obsolete, for the symbol of either identity or profession used by the non-armigerous – but see ‘house mark’ (also ‘armigerous’).

[merchant mark example]
(Parker)


MERCHANT PENDANT (or PENNANT)
In Habsburg Imperial usage, now obsolete, a term that may be used for the masthead pennant when flown from a merchant vessel between 1786 and 1804, and identical to that flown by contemporary and later warships - see ‘masthead pennant’ (also ‘pendant’, ‘pennant 2)’ and ‘streamer 2)’)

[Merchant Pendant example]
Merchant Pendant, Habsburg Empire 1786 – 1806, Masthead Pendant, Habsburg Empire 1786 – 1848 plus Austria-Hungary 1848 – 1918, Austria 1936 – 1938 and from 1976 (fame)

Please note that in European usage, as far as is known, only the Habsburg Empire ever permitted merchant vessels to legally fly a masthead pennant of this type.


MERCHANT SHIP PENDANT (or PENNANT)
A term for those masthead pennants, now obsolete, that were flown by Brazilian merchant vessels in the 19th Century to show in which province they were registered – but see ‘registration flags’ (also ‘pendant’ and ‘pennant 2)’). 

[Merchant Ship Pendant example] [Merchant Ship Pendant example]
Merchant Ship Pendants: Rio Grande do Sul and Pernambuco, Brazil (fotw.


MERIDIAN
An imaginary line drawn (either vertically or horizontally) through the centre of a flag – the median - a vertical or horizontal meridian/median.

[meridian]


META-VEXILLOLOGY
A newly introduced term, and as yet not fully defined, but one that could that be considered to cover the study of flags from an extended, new or varied perspective (see also ‘vexillology’).

MERLETTE
See ‘martlet’.

[merlette]
Flag of Izegem, Belgium (fotw)


METALS
See ‘or’, ‘argent’ and Appendix III.

[argent] [or]
From left; Argent and Or


METEOR FLAG (or ENSIGN)
In largely (but not exclusively) US usage now obsolete, an alternative term for the British red ensign – see ‘red ensign 1)’.

[red ensign]
British Red Ensign (fotw)

Please note that there is some doubt as to whether, when first coined (in it is suggested 1801), the term “British Meteor Flag” referred to the red ensign, or to the union jack.


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