[fan-yuh
n] 
| a small flag, originally carried by military brigades, used by soldiers and surveyors as a positional marker. |
| fan·ion (fān'yən) n. A small flag for marking a position, used especially by surveyors or soldiers. [French, alteration of *fanillon, diminutive of fanon, maniple, from Old French, from Frankish *fanō.] |