half-mast - meaning and definition. What is half-mast
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What (who) is half-mast - definition

FLAG FLYING BELOW THE SUMMIT OF A SHIP MAST, A POLE ON LAND, OR A POLE ON A BUILDING
Half mast; Half staff; Half-Staff; Half-Mast; Halfmast; Half-staff; Proclamation 3044
  • The [[Australian White Ensign]] flying at half-mast. In accordance with British [[tradition]], the flag is flying only one flag's width below the top of the pole.
  • Franklin Roosevelt]]
  • Capitol Building]] flies at half-staff in honor of President [[Ronald Reagan]], 2004
  • Brazilian flag]] flying at half-mast beside the [[Mercosul]] flag in front of the [[National Congress of Brazil]] in memory of the victims of the [[Chapecoense crash]] on 29 November 2016
  • Vietnam flag at half-mast in General Vo Nguyen Giap's funeral
  • Presidential Office Building]]
  • Hong Kong SAR flag flown at half mast
  • The flag of Saudi Arabia is never flown at half-mast.
  • train detrailment and explosion of Lac Mégantic, Québec]].
  • Thai national flag flown at half mast at [[Assumption College (Thailand)]] Bangkok during the mourning of the [[King Bhumibol]]
  • Finnish flag]] flying at half-mast after the [[2011 Norway attacks]]
  • Elizabeth II]]'s death.
  • Joseph Shepard Building]] in [[Toronto]], following the death of [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]], 2021
  • Black ribbons indicate mourning on banners that cannot be lowered to half-mast.
  • Flag at half-mast in [[Żebbuġ]], [[Malta]] for [[Good Friday]] 2014
  • Groningen]], Netherlands
  • Flags of Singapore outside [[The Fullerton Hotel Singapore]] were flown at half-mast to mark the death of [[Lee Kuan Yew]].
  • Chinese flag at half-mast to mark to mourn for the victims of the [[2008 Sichuan earthquake]]
  • Sir Edmund Hillary]]
  • Norwegian flag at half-staff to mourn the victims of the 2011 Norway attacks
  • Flag of Pahang]] is flown at half-mast at the [[Chin Swee Caves Temple]] as a mark of respect to the late Sultan [[Ahmad Shah of Pahang]]. The flag of Malaysia and Selangor are not at half-mast as a result of different mourning periods.
  • Philippine flag at half-staff at the Rizal Park.
  • Flag of Sweden at half-mast
  • Indian flag flown at half-mast at the Red Fort
  • Turkish flags]] at half mast after the [[2016 Atatürk Airport attack]]
  • The United States flag flying at half-staff in memorial of the [[September 11 attacks]] in New York City, Sep. 11 2014.
  • The [[Union Flag]] flying at half-mast, following the death of [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh]], 2021
  • flag of the Holy See]] flying at half-mast the day after the death of [[Pope John Paul II]]
  • Flags in Israel at half mast on the eve of [[Yom HaShoah]]

half-mast         
If a flag is flying at half-mast, it is flying from the middle of the pole, not the top, to show respect and sorrow for someone who has just died.
PHRASE: usu PHR after v
half mast         
¦ noun
1. a position of a flag halfway down its mast, as a mark of respect for a person who has died.
2. humorous a position lower than normal, especially for clothes.
half-mast         
n. at half-mast (the flags were flying at half-mast)

Wikipedia

Half-mast

Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salute. Most English-speaking countries use the term half-mast in all instances. In the United States, this refers officially only to flags flown on ships, with half-staff used on land.

The tradition of flying the flag at half-mast began in the 17th century. According to some sources, the flag is lowered to make room for an "invisible flag of death" flying above. However, there is disagreement about where on a flagpole a flag should be when it is at half-mast. It is often recommended that a flag at half-mast be lowered only as much as the hoist, or width, of the flag. British flag protocol is that a flag should be flown no less than two-thirds of the way up the flagpole, with at least the height of the flag between the top of the flag and the top of the pole. It is common for the phrase to be taken literally and for a flag to be flown only halfway up a flagpole, although some authorities deprecate that practice.

When hoisting a flag that is to be displayed at half-mast, it should be raised to the finial of the pole for an instant, then lowered to half-mast. Likewise, when the flag is lowered at the end of the day, it should be hoisted to the finial for an instant, and then lowered.

Examples of use of half-mast
1. TRIBUTEUS flags fly at half–mast President George W.
2. The flag over the clubhouse was lowered to half–mast.
3. Flags were lowered at half–mast over government buildings.
4. Throughout the city, flags flew at half mast and many shops closed temporarily.
5. India declared one day of state mourning for and the national flag flew at half mast.