oriflamme
/ˈɒɹɪflæm/
"oriflamme" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“oriflamme” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The red silk banner of St Denis, which the abbot of St Denis gave to French kings as they rode to war in the Middle Ages.
Corpus desk
Index EN-oriflamme · oriflamme · English
oriflamme · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "O" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern
Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | oriflamme |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɒɹɪflæm/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “oriflamme” in English
Rare enough to double-check
oriflamme is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɒɹɪflæm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
oriflamme doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French oriflambe, oriflamme, from Medieval Latin auriflamma (“golden flame”), from Latin aurum (“gold”) + flamma (“flame”). The correct English form is oriflamme, spelled O-R-I-F-L-A-M-M-E.
Definition
- 1The red silk banner of St Denis, which the abbot of St Denis gave to French kings as they rode to war in the Middle Ages.
- 2Any banner, idea or principle which serves as a rallying point for those involved in a struggle.
- 3Something resembling the banner of St Denis; a bright, shining object.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how oriflamme appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The white banner with the golden lilies of France has been unfurled. The oriflamme has been presented to the virginal bride who stands before the altar in the forest chapel.
And be your oriflamme to-day the helmet of Navarre.
Etymology
From Old French oriflambe, oriflamme, from Medieval Latin auriflamma (“golden flame”), from Latin aurum (“gold”) + flamma (“flame”).
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.