English → Latin
“ensign” in Latin
vēxillumflag, bannerīnsignea distinguishing mark, emblem, badge; an ensign, an honour, a badge of honour; a coat of armssignifersign-bearing, image-bearing,; bearing the heavenly signs or constellations, starryvēxillāriusstandard-bearer; chief of a group, gang; re-enlisted veteransaquiliferstandard-bearer (officer who carried the eagle standard of a legion)
The English word ensign itself goes back to Latin signum, through īnsignia.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
ensign
Standard, etc., signum militare: vexillum [SYN. in COLORS].
Badge [Vid:] , insigne.
Officer who bears the flag, signifer. vexillarius (not vexillifer): aquilifer (the bearer of a Roman eagle).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for ensign?
- The usual Latin words for “ensign” are vēxillum, īnsigne, signifer; also vēxillārius, aquilifer. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.