Definitions for "Civil Flag"
The official (or unofficial) flag of the country used by the people, perhaps public flag would be clearer. As opposed to the state flag reserved for the government or the military. A civil ensign is a flag used at sea by private (or any non-government) ships - Nathan Augustine, 1996-09-27.
The national flag used by private citizens on the land. Civil flags have been used rather than state flags throughout this book to illustrate national flags.
the version of a country's flag used by individuals and non-government organizations on land, when variants exist for official purposes; usually informally called the national flag; an example is the