For example, for the Russian-American Company flag a ship flying the flag was a merchant ship but a ship flying the same flag and a pennant was a warship. Reeve means to pull the halyard through the truck, raising or lowering a flag. Also called a saltire. Scandinavian Cross a Saint George's Cross, off-centered towards the hoist, as seen in Scandinavian and Nordic flags. Signal Flags A set of flags used to signify letters and numbers, hoisted to communicate between ships at sea.
Staff is a pole a flag hangs on.
Standard a flag around which people rally. Today, term usually refers to the personal flag of a ruler, such as the Royal Standard of a British monarch. State flag is the flag flown by the government of a country. Many state flags are the same as national flags but with the country's coat of arms added. A state ensign is a flag used at sea by government ships.