insignia
n.a special sign or mark that shows someone's rank or membership in a group. You often see these on military uniforms or police badges.
n.a badge or distinguishing mark of military rank, office, or membership in an organisation. Often used in the plural form to refer to the collective set of symbols on a uniform.
“The officer wore silver insignia on his shoulders.”
“The pilot's jacket featured the official insignia of the air force stitched onto the left sleeve.”
“Historians can often identify the specific unit and rank of a soldier by examining the unique insignia found on buttons and belt buckles recovered from the site.”
Can be used as a singular noun ('an insignia') or as a collective plural ('the insignia were').
“The statue is heavily damaged, with its head removed and its arms and royal insignia worn away.”
“Teens representing different neighborhoods often fused the two, explains Price, by spray-painting insignia on their jean jackets.”
From Latin īnsīgnia, nominative plural of īnsīgne (“emblem, token, symbol”). Doublet of ensign.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.