ensign vs colours

ensign and colours both are nouns.

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

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

Other hypernyms of ensign include colors.

ensign (noun)	colours (noun)
colors flown by a ship to show its nationality	a flag that shows its nationality
an emblem flown as a symbol of nationality	a distinguishing emblem
a person who holds a commissioned rank in the United States Navy or the United States Coast Guard; below lieutenant junior grade