nobody asked…

vexillology

vex·il·lol·o·gy (věk’se-lŏl’e-jē)
n. The study of flags.
vex·il’lo·log’i·cal adj., vex’il·lol’o·gist n.

Vexillogolists perform scholarly studies and investigations of flags, producing papers with titles such as A Review of the Changing Proportions of Rectangular Flags Since Midieval Times and Some Suggestions for the Future. (Can’t you just imagine how exciting a read that would be!) The word did not appear until the late 1950s when it was coined by these focused practioners. The word is derived from vexillium, the Latin term for a square flag or banner in the ancient Roman cavalry.

NOTE: Not related to the word vex, meaning to annoy, harass, or piss-off, which has roots in the Latin vexare.

[Credits to Merriam Webster's 365 New Word Calendar

from pageaday.com, June 14, 2007.]