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Ensign vs Shield - What's the difference?

ensign | shield | Related terms |

In obsolete terms the difference between ensign and shield

is that ensign is to designate as by an ensign while shield is a coin, the old French crown, or écu, having on one side the figure of a shield.

In heraldry terms the difference between ensign and shield

is that ensign is to distinguish by an ornament, especially by a crown while shield is the escutcheon or field on which are placed the bearings in coats of arms.

As a proper noun Ensign

is {{surname}.

ensign

English

(wikipedia ensign)

Noun

(en noun)
  • A badge of office, rank, or power.
  • * (Edmund Waller) (1606-1687)
  • The ensigns of our power about we bear.
  • The lowest grade of commissioned officer in the United States Navy, junior to a lieutenant junior grade.
  • *
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=10 , passage=The skipper Mr. Cooke had hired at Far Harbor was a God-fearing man with a luke warm interest in his new billet and employer, and had only been prevailed upon to take charge of the yacht after the offer of an emolument equal to half a year's sea pay of an ensign in the navy.}}
  • A flag or banner carried by military units. See standard, color, colour.
  • * (William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • Hang up your ensigns , let your drums be still.
  • (label) The principal flag or banner flown by a ship to indicate nationality.
  • A junior commissioned officer in the 18th and 19th Centuries whose duty was to carry the unit's ensign.
  • A prominent flag or banner.
  • * 1667 ?, (John Milton), (Paradise Lost)
  • Ten thousand thousand ensigns high advanced.

    Synonyms

    (junior commissioned officer) * coronet (cavalry equivalent of the infantry ensign) * second lieutenant (OF-1), first NATO commissioned officer grade above OF-0 trainee officer

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (obsolete) To designate as by an ensign.
  • *
  • To distinguish by a mark or ornament
  • (heraldry) To distinguish by an ornament, especially by a crown.
  • Any charge which has a crown immediately above or upon it, is said to be ensigned .

    shield

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) shelde, from (etyl) .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Anything that protects or defends; defense; shelter; protection.
  • # A broad piece of defensive armor, carried on the arm, formerly in general use in war, for the protection of the body.
  • #*
  • #*
  • #*
  • #*
  • , title=(The Celebrity), chapter=8 , passage=My client welcomed the judge […] and they disappeared together into the Ethiopian card-room, which was filled with the assegais and exclamation point shields Mr. Cooke had had made at the sawmill at Beaverton.}}
  • # Figuratively, one who protects or defends.
  • #*
  • # (lichenology) In lichens, a hardened cup or disk surrounded by a rim and containing the fructification, or asci.
  • # (mining) A framework used to protect workmen in making an adit under ground, and capable of being pushed along as excavation progresses.
  • # (science fiction) A field of energy that protects or defends.
  • Something shaped like a shield, usually an inverted triangle with slightly curved lower sides.
  • # (heraldry) The escutcheon or field on which are placed the bearings in coats of arms.
  • # A spot resembling, or having the form of a shield.
  • #*
  • # (obsolete) A coin, the old French crown, or , having on one side the figure of a shield.
  • # (label) A sign or symbol, usually containing numbers and sometimes letters, identifying a highway route.
  • # (colloquial, law enforcement) A police badge.
  • #*
  • (geology) A large expanse of exposed stable Precambrian rock.
  • # (geology) A wide and relatively low-profiled volcano, usually composed entirely of lava flows.
  • Hyponyms
    * * * * (hyp-mid3) * * * * (hyp-mid3) * * (hyp-bottom)

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) scieldan.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To protect, to defend.
  • *
  • (electricity) to protect from the influence of
  • Anagrams

    *