Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The position about halfway up a mast or pole at which a flag is flown as a symbol of mourning for the dead or as a signal of distress.
  • transitive verb To place (a flag) halfway up a mast or pole.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To place (a flag) at half-mast.
  • noun The position of a flag lowered half-way down from the head of the staff or from the gaff-end, as a mark of respect for the dead or as a signal of distress: generally used with at.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A point some distance below the top of a mast or staff.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The lowered position, half the height of a mast, at which a flag is flown when expressing respect for the dead.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a position some distance below the top of a mast to which a flag is lowered in mourning or to signal distress

Etymologies

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