Possibly from an Old Norse root *flak- (something flat that moves) — it displaced 'banner' and 'ensign' as the primary word.
A piece of cloth or similar material, typically oblong or square, attachable by one edge to a pole and used as a symbol or signal.
Of uncertain origin, possibly from an unrecorded Old Norse *flaga (slab, flap — related to Old Norse 'flaga,' a slab of stone, and 'flakka,' to flap, to flutter), from Proto-Germanic *flakō (something flat that flaps). The word may be related to 'flap,' 'flake,' and 'flaw' (a gust of wind), all sharing the Proto-Germanic root *flak- expressing the concept of something flat that moves or peels off. Before 'flag,' English used 'banner' (from French) and 'ensign' (from Latin
The word 'flagship' was originally literal: the ship that flew the admiral's flag, identifying the fleet commander's vessel. The extended meaning — 'the most important product or institution in a group' — came later. Similarly, 'to flag' (to grow tired, to droop) may be the same word: a flag that stops