^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

Dictionary of Vexillology: P (Padded Emblem – Pantone Matching System)

On this page:

PADDED EMBLEM (or CHARGE)
PADDING THE SLEEVE
PAGEANT STANDARD
PAISSANT
PALE
PALEWISE
PALIO
PALL
PALL FLAG
PALL WAVY
PALLIA (or PALLIUM)
PALLET(S) (or PALET(S)
PALLET(S) WAVY
PALM
PALY
PAN-AFRICAN COLOURS (or COLORS)
PAN-ARAB COLOURS (or COLORS)
PAN-SLAVIC/SLAV COLOURS (or COLORS)
PANEL
PANICLES
PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM (or PMS)

PADDED EMBLEM: See ‘raised detail’.

Padded Emblem/Raised Detail on the Flag of San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Tenerife, Spain (Klaus-Michael Schneider)
PADDING THE SLEEVE: (v) A (largely US) practice, now obsolete, of reinforcing the sleeve of a military colour (see also ‘colour 2)’, ‘raised detail’ and ‘sleeve 2)’).
PAGEANT STANDARD: A term, now obsolete, for the Scottish heraldic standard as carried on ceremonial occasions; and there are indications that it was the middle of three sizes (see also ‘battle standard’, ‘pinsel’, ‘heraldic standard 2)’, and ‘great standard’).

Standard of the Laird of Clan Agnew (The Flag Center)
PAISSANT: The heraldic term used when a (usually but not invariably) domestic animal (a sheep or cow etc.) is grazing (see also passant, statant and trippant).

Flag of Corpataux-Magnedens, Switzerland; Flag of Corpataux, Switzerland; Flag of Hottwil, Switzerland
PALE: The heraldic term for a vertical stripe whose centreline lies along the vertical meridian of a shield, a banner of arms or any quartering thereof, and which (in strict heraldic usage) should occupy about one-third the width of that shield, banner of arms or quartering (see also ‘banner of arms’, ‘Canadian pale’, ‘in pale’, ‘per pale’, ‘paly’, ‘quartering 1)’ and ‘triband’).

War Flag of Peru; Flag of Harbarnsen, Germany; Flag of Hoogstraten, Belgium
PALEWISE: 1) In traditional heraldry see ‘in pale’.
2) In some heraldic usage this term relates specifically to the axis of a charge or charges, rather than to its, or their position, on a shield, a banner of arms or a flag – but see ‘in pale’ as referenced above and the note below.

Flag of Villars-sous-Mont, Switzerland; Flag of Duffel, Belgium; Flag of Rudolfstetten-Friedlisberg, Switzerland
Please note with regard to 2) that charges can be orientated palewise but arranged in fess as per the examples shown below which would be blazoned "... three saw blades palewise in fess".

Flag and Arms of Gjerstad, Norway
PALIO: The flag – usually a unique banner of painted silk – that is presented in Sienna, Italy as a prize in the annual horse race of the same name (see also ‘flag tossing’).
PALL: 1) On flags, a Y-shaped charge of equal width throughout, generally with two arms of the "Y" touching, or nearly touching the top and bottom corners of the hoist, meeting on the horizontal meridian and extending to the fly as a single band – but see note a) below.; 2) In heraldry, a Y-shaped charge of equal width throughout, generally (but not exclusively) shown upright and when employed in ecclesiastical arms is usually seen with its lower point fringed and couped (see also couped 2), fringe and in pall).

Flag of Horní Jiřetín, Czechia; Flag of the Archbishop of Canterbury, UK; Flag of Santo António da Serra, Portugal
Notes
a) With regard to 1) when the two arms of the "Y" are on the hoist it may be called a simple pall, with the two arms on or towards the fly a reversed pall, with the two arms on the top edge an upright pall and with the two arms on the bottom edge of the flag an inverted pall – see inverted, reversed and upright.
b) The pall design originated as the pallium, a vestment symbolic of Arch-episcopal authority in some Christian churches (see also pallia).
PALL FLAG: That flag which is used to cover a coffin prior to interment, or the deceased person when lying in state – a burial, interment or casket flag (see also ‘flag case 2)’, ‘flagfolding’, ‘funeral flag’ and ‘mourning flag’).

(adamtglass.com)
Please note, not to be confused with a pall as defined above.
PALL WAVY: See ‘pall 2)’.

Arms and Flag of Kvinnherad, Norway
PALLIA (or PALLIUM): Pre-heraldic banners of varying design presented by the Pope to indicate his approval and/or support for a person or cause (see also ‘Bayeux tapestry’, ‘gonfanon’, ‘pall’ and and ‘pre-heraldic’).

One interpretation of the Pallia given to William of Normandy in 1066 as shown in the Bayeux Tapestry, and the earliest known representation of a gonfanon.
Notes
a) This term was derived from an item of arch-episcopal regalia – the pallium – and was almost certainly in the majority of cases a gonfanon.
b) "Pallia" and "pallium" are (respectively) the plural and singular in Vulgate Latin.
PALLET(S) (or PALET(S): The heraldic term for a vertical stripe (or stripes) whose centreline often (but by no means exclusively) lies along the vertical meridian of a shield, a banner of arms or any quartering thereof, and which (in strict heraldic usage) should occupy about one-quarter the width of that shield, banner of arms or quartering – but see ‘paly’ and ‘pale’ (also ‘banner of arms’).

Flag of Commugny, Switzerland; Flag of Foix, France; Flag of Vila Boa de Ousilhão, Portugal
PALLET(S) WAVY: See pallet.

Flag of Albergaria da Serra, Portugal
PALM: A term for the square or rectangular part of any flag that carries a schwenkel, or whose fly is divided into tongues (see also ‘crutch’ ‘indentation(s)’, ‘schwenkel’, ‘swallow-tail(ed)’, ‘swallow-tail and tongue’ and ‘tails’).
PALY: The heraldic term for the division of a shield, a banner of arms or any quartering thereof, into four or more usually (but not invariably) equal vertical stripes in alternating tinctures – but see ‘multistripe’ (also ‘banner of arms’, ‘barry’, ‘pale’, ‘quartering 1)’ and ‘tincture’).

Flag of Rovray, Switzerland; Flag of Leipzig, Germany; Flag of Arrissoules, Switzerland
PAN-AFRICAN COLOURS (or COLORS): The green, yellow and red of the Ethiopian flag, adopted by a number of newly independent countries in Africa from 1956 onwards – and sometimes called the Rastafarian or Rasta colours – but see flag family, Garvey colours, Rastafarian colours and the notes below (also core flag, difference, pan-Arab colours, pan-Slavic colours).

The National Flag of Ghana; The National Flag of Senegal; National Flag of Benin

Notes
a) Some sources include the Garvey and Rastafarian colours (as referenced above) in this category.
b) Flags that share the same colours, but which do not have the historic or geographic connections given above (for example the flag of Bolivia illustrated below) must not be included in this category.

National Flag of Bolivia
PAN-ARAB COLOURS (or COLORS): The white, black, red and green seen in the flags of a number of Arab countries based upon the colours of the Arab Liberation or Sharifian Flag and lines by the Arab poet Safi al-Din al-H'ly – but see flag family and the notes below (also core flag, difference, pan-African colours, pan-Slavic colours).

National Flag of Jordan; National Flag of Sudan; National Flag of the United Arab Emirates

Notes
a) The lines mentioned in the definition read: “White are our deeds, black the fields of battle, our pastures are green, but our swords are red with the blood of our enemy”, and the first flag to used these colours was the Arab Liberation Flag of 1917 (as mentioned above).
b) The red, white and black (with or without a touch of green) introduced by Egypt in their tricolour of 1958 are included by some sources in the above category – but see ‘Arab liberation colours’.
c) It should be further noted that flags which share the same colours, but which do not have the historic or geographic connections given above (for example the flag of Malawi illustrated below) must not be included in this category.

National Flag of Malawi 2010–2012
PAN-SLAVIC/SLAV COLOURS (or COLORS): The blue, white and red originally adopted by the Slavic peoples during their struggles for independence from the Ottoman and Habsburg empires, and derived from the national flag/civil ensign of the then Russian Empire – but see differenced 1), flag family and the notes below (also core flag, pan-African colours and pan-Arab colours).

The National Flag of Serbia 1882–1918; National Flag of Slovakia; Flag of Czechia
Notes
a) The red-white-blue tricolour of the Netherlands was almost certainly the model upon which the Russian flag (adopted as a civil ensign c1700) was based, and that some sources include these same “Dutch colours” in the above category – but see ‘Dutch colours 1)’ (also ‘driekleur’ and ‘princeflag’).
b) Flags that share the same colours, but which do not have the historic or geographic connections given above (for example the flag of France illustrated below) must not be included in this category.

National Flag of France
PANEL: 1) In vexillology that area of a flag that is surrounded by a border, the panel itself is generally (but not exclusively) used to display charges or other designs (see also ’border’, ‘charge’ and ‘pierced 1)’).
2) In heraldry see ‘quarter 2)’.

Flag of Guam; Flag of Oldenburg County, Germany
PANICLES: A term used when loosely branching clusters of flowers and/or foliage form a wreath, such as the panicles of rice on the army rank flags of Taiwan (see also ‘rank flag 1)’ and ‘wreath 1)’).

Flags of a General, Lt General and Major General, Taiwan
PANTONE MATCHING SYSTEM (or PMS): An internationally recognized proprietary system of identifying colours by a code number, and increasingly used for the official regulation/recommendation of flag colours.

Flag of the Lomé Convention in Green PMS 3415C, Gold PMS 131C and Process Blue C; Flag of Santa Clara County, California US in Blue PM PMS 2925 and Gold PMS 131; National Flag of Argentina in Blue PMS 284, Yellow PMS 1235 and Brown PMS 1685

Introduction | Table of Contents | Index of Terms | Previous Page | Next Page