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Insignia
 
 
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Insignia (the plural of Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 insigne: emblem, symbol) is a symbol
Symbol

A symbol is something such as an entity, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention....
 or token
Token

Token may refer to:* Token , a physical object given to a locomotive driver to authorize him to use a particular stretch of single railway track...
 of personal power
Power (sociology)

Power is a measure of a person's ability to control the environment around them, including the behavior of other people. The term authority is often used for power, perceived as legitimate by the social structure....
, status
Status

Status is a state, condition or situation. In common usage it may refer to:*Social status*Economic status*HIV status*Status *Status quo*Status symbol...
 or office
Office

An office is generally a room or other area in which people employment, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty....
, or of an official body of government
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
 or jurisdiction
Jurisdiction

In law, jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility....
. Insignia are especially used as an emblem
Emblem

An emblem is a pictorial , abstract art or representational, that epitomizes a concept ? e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory ? or that represents a person, such as a Monarch or Saint symbology....
 of a specific or general authority
Authority

In government, authority is often used interchangeably with the term "power ". However, their meanings differ: while "power" refers to the ability to achieve certain ends, "authority" refers to a claim of legitimacy , the justification and right to exercise that power....
.

Typical examples of insignia are:



Official insignia are often protected by law as to allow their use only by people holding a specific office or staff members action on behalf of such a person.






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Encyclopedia


Insignia (the plural of Latin
Latin

Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
 insigne: emblem, symbol) is a symbol
Symbol

A symbol is something such as an entity, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention....
 or token
Token

Token may refer to:* Token , a physical object given to a locomotive driver to authorize him to use a particular stretch of single railway track...
 of personal power
Power (sociology)

Power is a measure of a person's ability to control the environment around them, including the behavior of other people. The term authority is often used for power, perceived as legitimate by the social structure....
, status
Status

Status is a state, condition or situation. In common usage it may refer to:*Social status*Economic status*HIV status*Status *Status quo*Status symbol...
 or office
Office

An office is generally a room or other area in which people employment, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty....
, or of an official body of government
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
 or jurisdiction
Jurisdiction

In law, jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility....
. Insignia are especially used as an emblem
Emblem

An emblem is a pictorial , abstract art or representational, that epitomizes a concept ? e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory ? or that represents a person, such as a Monarch or Saint symbology....
 of a specific or general authority
Authority

In government, authority is often used interchangeably with the term "power ". However, their meanings differ: while "power" refers to the ability to achieve certain ends, "authority" refers to a claim of legitimacy , the justification and right to exercise that power....
.

Typical examples of insignia are:

  • Crowns
    Crown (headgear)

    A crown is the traditional symbolic form of headgear worn by a monarch or by a deity, for whom the crown traditionally represents Political power, legitimacy, Crown of Immortality, righteousness, victory, Roman triumph, resurrection, honour and glory of life after death....
  • Flag
    Flag

    A flag is a piece of cloth, often flown from a pole or Mast , generally used symbolically for signaling or identification. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium....
    s of a country or state
  • Coats of arms
    Coat of arms

    A coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways....
     and Heraldry
    Heraldry

    Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of devising, granting, and blazoning Coat of arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms....
  • Seal
    Seal (device)

    A seal can mean a wax seal bearing an impressed figure, or an embossed figure in paper, with the purpose of authenticating a document, but the term can also mean any device for making such impressions or embossments, essentially being a Molding that has the mirror image of the figure in counter-relief, such as mounted on rings known a...
    s
  • Ensign
    Ensign

    An ensign is a distinguishing flag of a ship or a military unit; or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office. The word has also given rise to the military Ensign , a rank of junior officer once responsible for bearing the ensign of his unit....
    s
  • Roundel
    Roundel

    A roundel in heraldry is any circular shape; in military use it is an emblem of nationality employed on military aircraft and air force flags, generally round and consisting of concentric rings of different colours....
    s
  • Badge
    Badge

    A badge is a personal device, patch, or accoutrement which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath , a sign of legitimate employment or student status, or as a simple means of identification....
    s
  • Cockade
    Cockade

    A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colors which is usually worn on a hat....
    s
  • Other National Emblems
    National emblem

    A national emblem national symbols represents a nation. Most national emblems originate in the natural world, such as animals or birds, but another object may serve....
  • Shoulder patch
    Shoulder patch

    A Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, is an embroidered patch used by major formations of the United States Army. Each formation has a unique patch that distinguishes it from other formations, and the US Army is unique among the US armed services in that all soldiers are required to wear the patch of their headquarters as part of their military unifor...
    , or shoulder sleeve insignia (SSI)
  • Military rank
    Military rank

    Military rank is a system of hierarchy relationships in armed forces or civil institutions organized along military lines. Usually, uniforms denote the bearer's rank by particular insignia affixed to the uniforms....
     and unit markings:
    • British Army officer rank insignia
      British Army officer rank insignia

      |- align = center|Abbreviation:||FM||Gen||Lt Gen||Maj Gen||Brig||Col||Lt Col||Maj||Capt||Lt||2Lt||||OCdt|-|colspan = 8|1 Abeyance - appointments no longer made to this rank in peacetime....
    • British Army Other Ranks rank insignia
    • British Royal Air Force officer rank insignia
      RAF officer ranks

      align = center|Abbreviation||MRAF||Air Chf Mshl or ACM||Air Mshl or AM||AVM||Air Cdre||Gp Capt||Wg Cdr||Sqn Ldr||Flt Lt||Fg Off||Plt Off||||OCdt|-...
    • British Royal Air Force other rank insignia
    • British Royal Navy officer rank insignia
      Royal Navy officer rank insignia

      OfficersRoyal Navy uniform were not authorised until 1748. At first the cut and style of the uniform differed considerably between ranks and specific rank insignia only sporadically used....
    • British Royal Navy ratings rank insignia
    • Croatian military ranks insignia
      Croatian military ranks

      Croatian military ranks are as follows:...
    • U.S. Army officer rank insignia
    • U.S. Army enlisted rank insignia
    • U.S. Navy officer rank insignia
    • U.S. Navy enlisted rate insignia
    • United States Air Force enlisted rank insignia
      United States Air Force enlisted rank insignia

      The chart below represents the current enlisted rank insignia of the United States Air Force.While all Air Force military personnel are referred to as Airmen, it can specifically refer to the pay grades of E-1 through E-4 which are below the level of non-commissioned officers ....
    • United States Air Force officer rank insignia
      United States Air Force officer rank insignia

      Current insigniaThis chart displays the United States Air Force officer rank insignia. The ranks are divided into three sections: company grade, field grade, and general officers....
    • United States Marine Corps enlisted rank insignia
      United States Marine Corps enlisted rank insignia

      The chart below represents the current enlisted rank insignia of the United States Marine Corps.This chart represents the United States Marine Corps enlisted rank insignia with seniority increasing right-to-left inside a given pay grade....
    • United States Marine Corps officer rank insignia
      United States Marine Corps officer rank insignia

      Commissioned Officers are distinguished from other officers by their commission, which is the formal written authority, issued in the name of the President of the United States, that confers the rank and authority of a Marine Officer....
    • Polish Armed Forces rank insignia
      Polish Armed Forces rank insignia

      OriginsPresent Polish system of rank insignia is a direct descendant of various systems used in the past in the Polish Army. Some of the grades trace their name back to Middle Ages, for instance the rank of chorazy literally means a flag bearer....
    • Nazi Party rank insignia
      Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party

      Ranks and insignia of the Nazi Party were Nazi party paramilitary ranks used by the National Socialist German Workers Party between 1925 and 1945....


Official insignia are often protected by law as to allow their use only by people holding a specific office or staff members action on behalf of such a person. Misuse, defacement and destruction of such symbols is considered an offense in many countries.