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Dictionary of Vexillology: T (Thangka – Tower Towered)

Last modified: 2025-08-30 by martin karner
Keywords: vexillological terms |
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THANGKA
A Buddhist prayer flag or wall hanging that depicts scenes from the life and teachings of the Buddha (see also prayer flag and religious flag).

Mongolian thangka
19th century Mongolian Thangka (Wikimedia)

THE CANTON
In heraldry and vexillology see Canton 1) and Canton 2).


National Flag of Taiwan; Flag of Canada 1892–1922; National Flag of the People's Republic of Congo 1969–1991

THE ENSIGN
See ensign, the.

Ensign of Italy Ensign of Spain
The Ensign of Italy 1848–1946; The Ensign of Spain 1785–1931

THE JACK
See jack, the.

Italian jack 1879 Italian jack 1879
The Jack/Naval Jack 1879–1946, Italy; The Jack/Naval Jack of Spain 1945–1977

THE UNION
See union, the.

[The Union - US] [Sarawak]
Jack/Canton of the National Flag, US; Flag of Sarawak 1946–1953

THIRD CANTON (or QUARTER)
Alternative terms for that quarter of a flag which occupies the lower hoist – the third quarter, lower hoist or lower hoist canton – see canton 3) (also hoist 1)).

[Third canton]

THREE-ARMED CROSS
1) See papal cross.
2) See orthodox cross.

[three-armed cross] [three-armed cross]

THREE-STRIPED FLAG
See triband and tricolour.

[three-striped flag] [three-striped flag] [three-striped flag]
Flag of the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines, UK (Graham Bartram); National Flag of Lithuania; National Flag of the Congo

THREE-TONGUED
See swallowtail and tongue, triangular tongued and triple tongued 1).

[three-tongued flag]  [three-tongued flag]
Naval Ensign/State Flag of Norway; Flag of Halič, Slovakia

THREEMOUND (or THREEMOUNT)
In heraldry see coupeau (also mount).

[threemound]
Flag of Dürrenäsch, Switzerland

THROUGHOUT
The heraldic term that is most usually (but not exclusively) employed when a charge, which under ordinary circumstances does not do so, extends to the edges of a shield, banner of arms or flag – for example a Latin cross throughout or a lozenge throughout as illustrated below – fixed or entire (see also banner of arms, overall 1), overall 2) and surmounted by 2)).

throughout example throughout example
Flag of Pula, Croatia; The Empire of Brazil 1822–1889

TIERCED (or TIERCÉ)
The alternative heraldic terms used when a shield or banner of arms is divided into three parts in two or three different tinctures or patterns – but see triband 1), tricolour 1) and note below.

tierced tierced tierced
Flag of Fulenbach, Switzerland; Flag of Hernán Cortés, Spain; Flag of Dobrovnik, Slovenia

Please note that a field divided in tiercé (or party per tierce) may be described in several different ways and it is suggested that a glossary or heraldic dictionary be consulted for full details, however, among those ways are per fess, per pale or per bend depending upon whether it is horizontal, vertical or diagonal – see bend, fess and pale (also per bend and per bend sinister).

TIES
Pieces of fabric or lengths of ribbon used in the largely (but not entirely) obsolete practice of tying a flag to its staff or mast.

Please note that the increasingly (but by no means entirely) obsolete practice of fixing a flag to its pole or staff by a series of attached loops is almost certainly based on this earlier use of ties – but see loops (also sleeve 2)).

TILTED FLAG
See flag for slanted display.

[Pont-à-Celles]
Flag of the Army For Slanted Display, Bolivia (CS)

TINCTURES
The heraldic term for the colours, metals and furs used on a shield or banner of arms – see furs, metals, mixed tinctures, proper, rules of tincture and shades of tincture (also hatching 1)).

tincture tincture tincture tincture tincture tincture tincture tincture tincture tincture tincture tincture
Gules, Azure, Vert, Purpure, Sable, Brunatre, Tenne, Or, Argent, Ermine, Potent and Vair

Notes
a) The basic colours used in English heraldry are gules (red), azure (blue), vert (green), purpure (purple), argent (white) and sable (black,), with others listed under mixed tinctures and shades of tincture as referenced above.
b) There are some variations not given herein, and we suggest that a suitable glossary or dictionary of heraldry be consulted if further details are required.

TOGGLE
An oval-shaped wood or plastic cross-piece attached to a hoist-line sewn into the heading of a flag, that fastens to a becket or eyesplice at the upper end of the halyard for hoisting the flag on a mast or pole (see also becket, halyard, heading, hoistline plus running eye and toggle).

[toggle]

TOGGLE AND BECKET
See running eye and toggle.

[becket]

TONGUE(S)
1) In the singular, a piece of fabric projecting from the fly of a flag – see schwenkel 2).
2) In the plural see tails (also swallowtail and tongue and triple-tailed 1).

[tongued flag]  [tongued flag]
Flag of the Partioheraldikot r.y., Finland; Flag of Breziny, Slovakia

TONGUED
1) In vexillology see tongue 1).
2) In heraldry see langued.

tongued tongued tongued
Flag of Oostrozebeke, Belgium; Flag of Ittre, Belgium; Flag of Casablanca 1968–1976, Morocco

TOOTHED
In heraldry see armed 2).

Appenzell, Switzerland
Flag of Appenzell, Switzerland

TOOTHED WHEEL
See cog-wheel.

Indistriequartier, Switzerland
Flag of Industriequartier Zurich, Switzerland

TOPPED
1) In vexillology a term that may be used to place the uppermost detail of a charge – for example when an orb and cross appear on the central point of a crown (see also charge 2), crown and and surmounted by 1)).
2) In heraldry see ensigned.

Spanish Crown Spanish Arms
Royal Crown and National Arms of Spain

TORSE
A heraldic wreath – see wreath 2).

torse

TORTEAU (TOURTEAU or TORTS)
The alternative heraldic terms for a red disc – a roundel gules (see also bezant, hurt, plates, pomme(s) and roundel 3)).

torteau example torteau example torteau example
Flag of Asendorf, Germany; Flag of Argentonnay, France; Flag of Sobreda, Portugal

Please note that in strict English heraldic usage this term should only be applied when the charge described in red (gules) – see tinctures.

TORTURE WHEEL
See St. Catherine's wheel.

torture wheel torture wheel
Arms and Flag of Arcas, Portugal

TORUS
See ring 1).

torus example
Flag of Groß Twülpstedt, Germany

TOUG
A term for the horsetail decorated standard, now obsolete, of certain regiments of French cavalry – the Spahis originally raised from North African tribesmen – a tugh (see also horsetail, standard 2) and tugh 1).
TOURING FLAG (or BANNER)
The term – and a translation of the German Wanderfahne – for those flags (or more accurately banners) that were awarded to various non-military organizations for the best performance in the meeting or exceeding of production targets etc., by the former GDR and possibly other Communist bloc countries – but see award flag (also banner 3 and honour banner).

torse
Example: eBay

Please note that other translations of the term "Wanderfahne" have been proposed, but have not yet been adopted into English vexillology.

TOWER TOWERED (or TURRETED)
The alternative heraldic terms used when a narrower tower or turret rises above the embattled top of another tower or turret, with the number of any such towers or turrets (if more than one) given – for example (as per two of the images shown below) a tower triple-towered –, but see the following note (also embattled).

Hamburg Tower towered flag of Kluczbork, Poland
Flag of Hamburg, Germany; Flag of Torre de Dona Chama, Portugal; Flag of Kluczbork, Poland

Please note that other variants might include a tower with a steeple or a tower domed (or with a cupola), with the example shown above being a tower triple towered with one domed.

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