fanion

American

[fan-yuhn] / ˈfæn jən /

noun

a small flag, originally carried by military brigades, used by soldiers and surveyors as a positional marker.

fanion British

/ ˈfænjən /

noun

a small flag used by surveyors to mark stations

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of fanion

1700–10; < French, diminutive of fanon fanon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023