gonfanon
.
Searchable Lemmata: gunfanun (AF), gounfanoun (ME), gunfanum (L), gonfanon (MdE), gonfalon (MdE).
Alternate Forms: goinfainoun, goinfainun, gomfainoun, gomfanoun, gomfaunon, gomfeinoun, gonfainoun, gonfanoun, gonfaunon, gonfenoun, gonphanoun, gunfanoun, gunfanun, gunphanun, gonphanoun, ganfanon, gamfanoun, gofanoun, goffanoun, gonfaucon, gousfacon, gunfaigun, gonfalon, gomfanun, gomfanoun, gonfainon, gonfainun, gonfanon, gonfanoun, gonfanun, gonfaynon, gonphainun, gumfanon, gumfanun, gumfaynon, gumphanoun, gumphanun, gunfainon, gunfanoun, gunfanune, gunphainon, gunphainun.
Definitions and Defining Citations:
1(n.)
Furnishing;
pennon, flag, banner or ensign. Occasionally a battle standard (the etymological meaning; cf. the usage 'mestre gonfanon'). Frequently a knight's pennon, composed of a small flag or streamer suspended beneath the head of a lance.(ante 1140 - post 1850)
1. En som le pomel d’or (of the tent) desus le dragon, la fet ly roys lever son mestre gonfanon. De vermail samit estoit, e en my un lion
Heroic, Historic, Poetic, Romance.
[AND Rom Chev ANTS (3468) circa 1175/1200]
2. tenet unam carucatam terre in Webeding' [Suss] per serjanteriam ... ad deferendum gunfanum in Sudhamtesir' apud Sparkeford
[DMLBS Fees (I 71) 1198/1293]
3. [814] ... Ceinte ad un espee de fine ascer tempree, Amont desur son chefs l'em mist un healme gemmee ... [817] ... Sa lance prist en sa mayn, le gonfainon levee -- Le forme de saynt Pier la dedenz fu painturee
Heroic, Historic, Poetic, Romance.
[AND Dest Rome (814-817) circa 1200/1233]
4. [420] ... Copé li fust le cors en qatre porciouns; Chescun pende par say en memor de ses nouns! En lu de sa banere cels sunt ses gunfanouns ... [421.2390] ... Et la gerlaunde i prist qe roys solait porter En signe de seygnorye a son corouner
[AND LANGTOFT (420-421.2390) circa 1200/1400]
Sex: Male Use: Military Status: High Ceremonial: No
Body Parts: N/A.
Etymological Evidence:
Definite, the Middle English word is a borrowing of Old French gonfanon (gunfanon) / Anglo-French gunfanon (cf. Occitan gonfano), derived from from an earlier Frankish form (or perhaps cf. OHG gundfano), ultimately < Germanic *gunþjâ-fano 'war-banner'. The Germanic etymon had a reflex in Old English gúðfana (q.v.), but that word fell out of use in the early ME period. The DMLBS reports that Latin gunfanum (first attested 1212) comes from Anglo-Norman and ME usage, though continental Latin forms such as guntfano (from OHG) are attested; Old French gunfanun is first attested c. 1050.
In modern English a parallel word gonfalon, < Italian gonfalone, a later development of the same word, is attested from the late 16th cent. onwards.
WF: Borrowed into the British Isles
Etym Cog: gúðfana (OE).
References:
Art and Illustration:
Critics often refer to the battle standards shown in the Bayeux Tapestry as gonfanons, but this is earlier ( c. 1080) than the recorded instances of the word in England.
