| 释义 |
▪ I. ensign, n.|ˈɛnsaɪn|
Forms: 4, 6 an-, as-, ensenȝe, -ȝhe, -ye, -yhe, 4 ensaigne, 5–7 ensigne, 5 ensygne, 6 enseigne, essenȝe, (6 insigne, 8 insign), 6– ensign. See also ancient n.2, insigne.
[a. OF. enseigne, enseine, ensaigne, ansigne, corresp. to Pr. enseigna, ensegna, essenha, Cat. insignia, It. insegna:—L. īnsignia, pl. of īnsigne, neut. of īnsignis adj., f. in + signum sign.
The insigne used in sense 4 by some writers late in 18th c. and in 19th is prob. intended as Lat., and is therefore treated as a distinct word.]
†1. A signal; a rallying or battle-cry, watchword. Chiefly Sc. Obs.
1375Barbour Bruce ii. 378 Hys assenȝhe gan he cry. Ibid. v. 323 His ensenȝhe mycht heir him cry. c1450Merlin x. 161 The Duke..cride his ensigne. c1500Lancelot 3347 Thar essenȝeis lowd thai gon to cry. 1513Douglas æneis vii. ix. 86 The hyrdis ensenȝe loud wp trumpis sche.
2. A sign, token, characteristic mark. arch.
1474Caxton Chesse 85 Entyse them to lawghe and jape by ony dysordynate ensignes or tokenes. 1491― Vitas Patr. (W. de W. 1495) i. i. 3 a/1 In exposynge to hym very ensygnes of his vysage and clothynge. 1609B. Jonson Sil. Wom. iii. vi, We see no Ensigns of a Wedding here. 1632Massinger & Field Fatal Dowry i. i, Are these the ensigns of so coarse a fellow? 1644Jus Pop. 48 The prime ensignes of Majestie, which consists in making Laws. 1650Bulwer Anthropomet. xii. 132 The Beard is the ensigne of manhood. 1765Blackstone Comm. I. 84 From these three strong marks and ensigns of superiority. 1830Gen. P. Thompson Exerc. (1842) I. 206 A well-dressed man, with all the ensigns of respectability and good-fellowship about him.
¶ humorously. Cf. 5 and Fr. enseigne signboard.
1854Thackeray Newcomes I. 90 There was never a card in her window, whilst those ensigns in her neighbours' houses would remain exposed..for months together.
3. A conventional sign; an emblem, badge.
1579E. K. Gloss. Spenser's Sheph. Cal. Apr. 123 The Oliue was wont to be the ensigne of peace. 1665G. Havers P. della Valle's Trav. E. India 46 Whether this fillet..was a badge of Religion, or only an Ensign of piety. 1750Johnson Rambler No. 55 ⁋4 My mother appeared again without the ensigns of sorrow. 1825Miss Mitford in L'Estrange Life II. x. 209 She left those ensigns of authority, the keys, in his possession. 1860Abp. Thomson Laws Th. §22. 33 The Sculptor raises a tomb, and covers it with the ensigns of piety and death.
4. esp. A badge or symbol of dignity or office; chiefly pl. = L. insignia; also, heraldic arms or bearings.
1513Douglas æneis vii. iv. 53 Sceptour and croun, And of justice wthir ensenȝeis seyr. 1536Act 28 Hen. VIII, c. 16 §3 Thoffice..of an archebyshop..with all tokens, insignes and ceremonies thereunto lawfully belongyng. 1676Hobbes Iliad i. 15 Having in his hands the Ensigne meet..A Golden Scepter and a Crown of Bays. 1691Lond. Gaz. No. 2653/3 Then the King put on the Blue Ribon with the George, Garter King at Arms reading the usual Admonitions upon the putting on each of the said Ensigns. 1710Palmer Proverbs 359 The ornaments and insigns of a family. 1750C. Lucas Ess. Waters ii. 125 There is nothing..but a black marble table, ornamented with ensigns armorial. 1772Ann. Reg. 77/2 A new order was instituted by her Danish Majesty..the ensign of which is a cypher of her Majesty's name. 1776Gibbon Decl. & F. I. xvi. 428 A white robe was the ensign of their dignity. 1873Tristram Moab xii. 226 Two fine Saker falcons..his pets, the ensign and crest of his tribe.
5. a. A military or naval standard; a banner, flag. In the Royal Navy pronounced |ˈɛns(ə)n|.
In British nautical use applied spec. to a flag with a white, blue or red field, and the union in the corner. Since 1864 the ensign of the Royal Navy and the Royal Yacht Squadron has been white, that of the naval reserve, of ships in the service of public offices, and of certain yacht clubs, blue, and the ‘merchant ensign’ red. (See Encycl. Brit. ed. 9 s.v. Flag.)
c1400Rom. Rose 1200 And that was he that bare the ensaigne Of worship. 1513Douglas æneis xi. ix. 45 Charge thame thar ensenȝeis for to rais on hycht. 1591Garrard Art Warre 65 The valiant Alfierus with his ensigne in one hand and his sword in another. a1656Bp. Hall Occas. Medit. 79 We are wont to fight cheerfully under this ensign abroad. 1707Royal Proclam. 28 July in Lond. Gaz. No. 4356/1 We have..thought fit..to Order and Appoint the Ensign Described on the..Margent hereof, to be Worn on Board all Ships. 1838Hist. Record 3rd Regt. Foot 27 And each Company had a colour which was designated an ensign. 1848M. Arnold Poems (1877) I. 85, I still bear on The conquering Tartar ensigns through the world.
b. transf.
1598Chapman Iliad vi. 175 Lycia, where Xanthus doth display The silver ensigns of his waves. a1678Marvell Poems 26 Then flowers their drowsy eyelids raise, Their silken ensigns each displays.
†6. A body of men serving under one banner; a company, troop. Sometimes used to render the L. cohors or ordo. Obs.
The number of men in an ‘ensign’ seems to have varied from 100 to 500.
1552in Strype Eccl. Mem. II. ii. x. 328 The Bishops of Colen and Treves..did send unto the Emperor 1500 horse, and six ensigns of foot. 1581Savile Tacitus' Hist. (1591) Annot. 51 The Hastati were diuided againe into ten Enseignes, or ordines. 1584Balnuis Lett. in Keith Hist. Ch. & State Scotl. (1734) App. 44 (Jam.) The payment of our futemen extendis monethlie everie Ansenye (whiche are now sex in number) to 290l. sterl. 1590J. Smyth Disc. Weapons 8 b, Our English Milicia of footmen monie yeares past, did consist of bands but of 100 to an Ensigne. Ibid. 9 b, At which time their bands did consist of five hundred to everie Ensigne. 1600Holland Livy ii. xi. 51 Valerius..set forth from mount Cœlius certaine ensignes [cohortes] of his best and choice souldiors. 1650R. Stapylton Strada's Low C. Warres vi. 17 She commanded Count Mansfeldt to goe before with 16 ensignes, of her best Foote.
7. The soldier who carries the ensign; a standard-bearer. See ancient n.2 Formerly commissioned officers of the lowest grade in the infantry bore this title, which has been replaced by that of sub-lieutenant.
1513–75Diurn. Occurr. (1833) 225 Alexander Bog ansenyie to capitane Daniel Meluile with the said enseynie, and lxx suddartis. 1579Digges Stratiot. 89 Let the Ensigne be a man of good accompte. 1677W. Hubbard Narrative 19 Ensign Savage, that young Martial Spark. 1682Bunyan Holy War 51 His Ensign was Mr. Thunder. 1756–7tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) I. 309 The sons of many of the noblest and wealthiest families are ensigns and lieutenants. 1846McCulloch Acc. Brit. Empire (1854) II. 559 The mortality of captains from battle is double that of ensigns.
8.
†a. transl. Fr. enseigne de vaisseau, midshipman (obs.).
b. In the U.S. navy, the designation of the lowest rank of commissioned officers.
1708Lond. Gaz. No. 4420/7 Mr. de Villeville, Ensign of the Ship. 1886Encycl. Amer. III. 819 Officers of the Navy..Ensign, ranking with Second Lieutenant in the Army.
9. Comb., as ensign-staff (in sense 5); ensign-fly, a parasitic hymenopterous insect of the family Evaniidæ.
1707Lond. Gaz. No. 4380/2 His Boltsprit carried away our Ensign-Staff. 1799Naval Chron. I. 269 Nailed the Flag to the ensign staff. 1894Comstock Man. Insects 628 We have named these insects Ensign-flies, because they carry the abdomen aloft like a flag. 1897― Insect Life 86.
▪ II. ensign, v. Obs. exc. Her.|ɛnˈsaɪn|
Forms: 5–6 ensigne, -sygne, 5 enseigne, -seygne, enseyne, (6 ensine, -syne, 7– ensign). Also 5 inseygne, 6 insygne, 6–8 insigne.
[a. OF. ensignier, enseigner, corresp. to Pr. enseignar, Cat. ensenyar, Sp. enseñar, Pg. ensinar, It. insegnare:—med.L. insignāre, f. in (see in-) + signum sign.]
†1. trans. To indicate, point out, show. Also absol. to give indications. Obs.
1475Caxton Jason 37 b, As to the waye that he had holden he enseigned to the lady. 1483― Gold. Leg. 288/3 Why callest thou them traitours whiche ben Doctours and enseygne the lyf perdurable. 1541R. Copland Galyen's Terapeutyke 2 C iij, But I can nat coniect what may shewe and ensygne the tyme. 1548Udall, etc. Erasm. Par. John 67 a, He did ensigne theim in time to come a terrible iudgemente. 1576Baker Jewell of Health 29 a, The matter ought afore to be put into the vessels, as this letter X insigneth to us.
†2. To direct (a person) to an object; to instruct, inform. Also with double acc.: To teach (a person, a thing). Obs.
1474Caxton Chesse 16 He is taught, enseygned and norisshed in his yougth. 1477Earl Rivers (Caxton) Dictes 74 b, Wylle ye that I enseygne and teche you howe ye shal mowe escape from alle euyll. 1508Barclay Shyp of Folys (1874) I. 236 A folysshe Father full hardly shall ensyne His sone to good lyfe. 1598Barret Theor. Warres ii. i. 16 [The Caporall] himselfe ensigning and teaching the Bisognios. Ibid. iii. i. 33 Ensigning them the vse of their weapon.
3.
†a. To mark with a distinctive sign or badge; also, to serve as a badge of (obs.).
b. Her. To distinguish (a charge) by a significant mark or ornament placed upon it, as a crown, coronet, or mitre.
1572J. Bossewell Armorie ii. 71 The Cocke aboue other birdes is ensigned with a peculiare Creste. 1586J. Ferne Blaz. Gentrie 138 Princes..which do insigne their chapeau and helme with a crowne of flowers and crosses. 1610J. Guillim Heraldry i. i. (1660) 5 Osyris bare a Scepter royall, insigned on the top with an Eye. 1610B. Jonson Prince Henry's Barriers, Henry but join'd the roses, that ensign'd Particular families. 1766Porny Heraldry (1787) 150 The sixteenth is Argent, a man's Heart Gules, ensigned with a Crown Or. 1808J. Barlow Columb. vi. 272 A warrior ensign'd with a various crown. 1842M. A. Lower Eng. Surnames (1875) II. App. 148 A cross ensigned by XP. 1864Boutell Heraldry Hist. & Pop. xiii. 96 Archbishops and Bishops..ensign their Shields with their Mitres. |