GONFALONS

Noun

gonfalons

plural of gonfalon

Source: Wiktionary


GONFALON

Gon"fa*lon, Gon"fa*non, n. Etym: [OE. gonfanoun, OF. gonfanon, F. gonfalon, the same word as F. confalon, name of a religious brotherhood, fr. OHG. gundfano war flag; gund war (used in comp., and akin to AS. gu\'eb) + fano cloth, flag; akin to E. vane; cf. AS. gu\'ebfana. See Vane, and cf. Confalon.]

1. The ensign or standard in use by certain princes or states, such as the mediæval republics of Italy, and in more recent times by the pope.

2. A name popularly given to any flag which hangs from a crosspiece or frame instead of from the staff or the mast itself. Standards and gonfalons, 'twixt van and rear, Stream in the air. Milton.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

16 March 2025

SUSPENDED

(adjective) (of undissolved particles in a fluid) supported or kept from sinking or falling by buoyancy and without apparent attachment; “suspended matter such as silt or mud...”; “dust particles suspended in the air”; “droplets in suspension in a gas”


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Coffee Trivia

The word “coffee” entered the English language in 1582 via the Dutch “koffie,” borrowed from the Ottoman Turkish “kahve,” borrowed in turn from the Arabic “qahwah.” The Arabic word qahwah was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine.

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