A flagstaff is a tall pole designed specifically for flying a flag. You'll see flagstaffs outside schools, government buildings, and parks, standing straight and sturdy with a rope system (called a halyard) that lets people raise and lower the flag each day.

Flagstaffs are built to withstand wind and weather, often made of metal like aluminum or steel, though wooden flagstaffs were common historically. The tallest flagstaffs can reach over 400 feet.

When a flag flies at half-staff (or half-mast on ships), it's lowered partway down the flagstaff as a sign of mourning or respect, often after a national tragedy or the death of an important leader.

The word can also refer to a city in Arizona named Flagstaff, which got its name when settlers stripped a tall pine tree of its branches and used it as a flagstaff to celebrate America's centennial in 1876. That pine became a landmark, and eventually the whole town took its name.