a triangular or swallow-tailed flag flown from the mast of a merchant ship for identification and from the mast of a yacht to indicate its owner's membership of a particular yacht club
Word origin
C18: perhaps from French (Jersey dialect) bourgeais shipowner, from Old French borgeis; see bourgeois1, burgess
burgee in American English
(ˈbɜrdʒi)
noun
a swallow-tailed or triangular flag or pennant used on ships for signaling or identification
Word origin
< ? burgee's flag, owner's flag < Fr dial. bourgeais, var. of OFr borjois, burgeis, master, bourgeois