saltire
pronunciation
How to pronounce saltire in British English:
UK [ˈsæltaɪə(r)]
How to pronounce saltire in American English:
US [ˈsɔlˌtɪr, -ˌtaɪr, ˈsæl-]
-
- Noun:
- a cross with diagonal bars of equal length
Word Origin
- saltire (n.)
- c. 1400, an ordinary that resembles a St. Andrew's Cross on a shield or flag, consisting of a bend dexter and a bend sinister crossing each other, from Middle French saultoir, literally "stirrup," from Medieval Latin saltatorium, properly neuter of Latin saltatorius "pertaining to leaping," from salire "to leap" (see salient (adj.)). The connection between a stirrup and the diagonal cross is perhaps the two deltoid shapes that comprise the cross.
Example
- 1. Flanked by a pair of large scottish saltire flags , he quotes the homespun wisdom of a childhood family friend , predicting that , after independence , england will lose a " surly lodger " and gain a " good neighbour " .