oriflamme

/ˈɒɹɪflæm/

Etymology

From Old French oriflambe, oriflamme, from Medieval Latin auriflamma (“golden flame”), from Latin aurum (“gold”) + flamma (“flame”).

Why this word is great

ORIFLAMME — [Noun] A sacred banner, particularly the crimson silk standard of St. Denis borne before French kings as they marched to war, or any emblem that serves as a luminous rallying point. From Old French oriflambe, oriflamme, from Medieval Latin auriflamma ("golden flame"), from Latin aurum ("gold") + flamma ("flame"). Unlike a "standard" (which is merely functional) or a "pennant" (which is diminutive and transient), an oriflamme is a relic charged with destiny—less a flag than a consecrated flame made cloth. It is the blood-red silk snapping in the wind above a thousand lances at Agincourt, the gilded edge catching the last light before a charge, the tattered remnant still clutched by a dying herald—an object that transforms men into believers, and belief into force.

noun

The red silk banner of St Denis, which the abbot of St Denis gave to French kings as they rode to war in the Middle Ages.“The white banner with the golden lilies of France has been unfurled. The oriflamme has been presented to the virginal bride who stands before the altar in the forest chapel.”
Any banner, idea or principle which serves as a rallying point for those involved in a struggle.“And be your oriflamme to-day the helmet of Navarre.”
Something resembling the banner of St Denis; a bright, shining object.“This is that famed Martial law, with its Red Flag, its 'Drapeau Rouge:' in virtue of which Mayor Bailly, or any Mayor, has but henceforth to hang out that new Oriflamme of his; then to read or mumble something about the King's peace; and, after certain pauses, serve any undispersing Assemblage with musket-shot....”