Etymologically
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flagship

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 21:52. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˈflæɡʃɪp/[1]

Etymology

It was formed from English flag + ship in English.[2][3][4][5] Etymonline notes that at sea a flag is properly the banner that marks an admiral's ship among the others of the squadron, the rest being ensigns, pennants and standards.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A ship carrying the flag of an admiral: 1672, in the London Gazette,[2][6] the 1670s in Etymonline.[3]

Semantic evolution

Merriam-Webster also records the sense "the finest or largest ship of a shipping line".[6] The figurative use, for the leader or best of a group, and especially the main product of a company's range, is recorded from 1933;[2][3][4] the attributive use, as in a flagship store or flagship model, from 1977.[2][6]

Timeline

  • 1672 – a ship bearing an admiral's flag.[2][6]
  • 1933 – figurative, the leading member or product.[2][3]
  • 1977 – attributive, leading, best promoted.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. The ship that carries the admiral or commander of a fleet and flies his flag.
  2. The largest or finest ship of a shipping line.
  3. The best, largest or most important member of a group, such as a company's leading product or shop: The paper is the flagship of the media group.

Adjective

  1. Being the leading or most important one of its kind: a flagship store.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster