ensign vs allegory

ensign and allegory both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
ensign	Yes	No	No	No
allegory	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, allegory is a hypernym of ensign; that is, allegory is a word with a broader meaning than ensign:

Other hypernyms of ensign include flag, emblem.

ensign (noun)	allegory (noun)
colors flown by a ship to show its nationality	a short moral story (often with animal characters)
an emblem flown as a symbol of nationality	an expressive style that uses fictional characters and events to describe some subject by suggestive resemblances; an extended metaphor
a person who holds a commissioned rank in the United States Navy or the United States Coast Guard; below lieutenant junior grade	a visible symbol representing an abstract idea