pair of colours

noun

The commission of an ensign in the infantry or a cornet in the cavalry; an ensigncy or cornetcy.

First used 18th c.
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Meanings

nounpair of colours (plural pairs of colours)

plural pairs of colours · alternative pair of colors

  1. The commission of an ensign in the infantry or a cornet in the cavalry; an ensigncy or cornetcy.First known use 18th c.

    [T]he old general assured him of his protection and interest for a pair of colours, if he was disposed to enter into the Dutch Service.

    1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC
  2. UKA national flag and a regimental flag when carried together.
Cite this entry
APA

pair of colours. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pair%20of%20colours

MLA

“pair of colours.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pair%20of%20colours. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pair of colours,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pair%20of%20colours.

Source: pair of colours on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.