hear it again

: one who studies flags

Example sentence:
Any true vexillologist in America would know that although Betsy Ross made flags for the navy she did not actually make the first national flag as legend holds.

Etymology:
"The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history." Woodrow Wilson was speaking of the U.S. flag when he made that statement in an address in June of 1915, but vexillologists would likely find the comment applicable to any national banner. Vexillologists undertake scholarly investigations of flags, producing papers with titles such as "A Review of the Changing Proportions of Rectangular Flags Since Medieval Times, and Some Suggestions for the Future." In the late 1950s, they coined a name for their field of research ("vexillology") and for members of their profession ("vexillologists") from "vexillum," the Latin term for a square flag or banner of the ancient Roman cavalry.