auriflamme
|au-ri-flamme|
🇺🇸
/ˌɔɹɪˈflæm/
🇬🇧
/ˌɒrɪˈflæm/
golden flame banner
Etymology
'auriflamme' originates from Latin, specifically the phrase 'aurea flamma', where 'aurea' meant 'golden' and 'flamma' meant 'flame'.
'auriflamme' passed into Old French as 'oriflamme' (and variant spellings), and from Old French it entered Middle English and modern English as 'auriflamme'/'oriflamme'.
Initially it referred literally to a 'golden flame' (the name of a sacred banner); over time it came to denote the specific royal/battle standard and, by extension, any flame-shaped banner or figurative rallying emblem.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
historically, the battle standard (a sacred or royal banner) associated with the medieval kings of France.
During the Hundred Years' War, the auriflamme was carried into battle as a royal standard.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a flame-shaped or wavy banner or pennon; a heraldic flag resembling a flame.
The procession displayed several auriflammes that fluttered like tongues of fire.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/20 23:56