Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A small banner.
- n. A feudal knight ranking between a knight bachelor and a baron, who was entitled to lead men into battle under his own standard.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. A little banner; a banderole.
- n. One who is bannered or entitled to a banner; specifically, a knight of a certain grade in the military hierarchy of the middle ages. Originally the right to display a banner (as distinguished from a pennon) was limited to those who could bring a certain array of followers into the field, and who had also been dubbed or accoutred knight. As the military distinctions of earlier feudalism became confused by the employment of paid soldiers, the right of displaying a banner became more and more a reward for distinguished prowess in battle. After a victory or a notable achievement a banneret elect, carrying his pennon in his hand, was, it is said, conducted between two knights of note, and presented to the king or general, who cut off the point or ends of his pennon, making it square. He was then called a knight of the square flag. Also called
knight banneret . - n. Formerly, the title of magistrates of the second rank in some Swiss cantons, and also of certain officers of some of the Italian republics.
Wiktionary
- n. A noble, knighted feudal lord who has the right to lead his vassals to battle under his own banner
- n. A small banner.
- n. military, historical A proposed but unadopted senior commissioned rank of the Royal Air Force equivalent to group captain.
- n. A civil officer in some Swiss cantons.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Originally, a knight who led his vassals into the field under his own banner; -- commonly used as a title of rank.
- n. A title of rank, conferred for heroic deeds, and hence, an order of knighthood; also, the person bearing such title or rank.
- n. A civil officer in some Swiss cantons.
- n. A small banner.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a knight honored for valor; entitled to display a square banner and to hold higher command
Etymologies
- Borrowing from French banneret. (Wiktionary)
- Middle English baneret, from Old French banerete, diminutive of baniere, banner; see banner.Middle English baneret, from Old French, from baniere, banner; see banner. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“On the blue field of the banneret was the yellow sun with a black centre, and between the four greater yellow rays, four black rays emerging, so that the sun looked like a wheel spinning with a dazzling motion.”
“If you neglect it, you might as well go out as an unarmed knight-banneret to fight against men in armor.”
“His armour and his horse were black; there was no device on his shield and no banneret on his spear.”
“William de la Pole rescues Edward III., detained in Flanders by want of money, and is made a knight-banneret; his son Michael is created earl of Suffolk; one of his grandsons is killed at Agincourt; another besieges Orléans, which is delivered by Joan of Arc; he becomes duke of Suffolk, is impeached in 1450 for high treason and beheaded; no honour is lacking to the house.”
A Literary History of the English People From the Origins to the Renaissance
“English Catholics, among whom knights harbingers and banneret bearers of the Primrose League are numerous, who have leant all their weight in the scale to maintain the Protestant ascendancy in Ireland, have been ever ready when occasion arose to appeal to the religious loyalty of the”
“The peak of this awful spur was just touched by a fleecy cloud that shifted to and fro like a banneret.”
“The Abbot's Apparitor drew forth his roll and read aloud: -- 'Sir Robert de Shurland, Knight banneret, Baron of Shurland and Minster, and Lord of Sheppey.”
“The last authentic instance of the creation of a knight banneret was that of John Smith, created banneret at the battle of Edgehill by Charles I. for rescuing the royal standard from the enemy.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon"
“Selden, indeed, points out that "the old stories" often have _baronetti_ for _bannereti_, and he points out that in France the title had become hereditary; but he himself is careful to say (p. 680) that banneret "hath no relation to this later title.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon"
“The title of knight banneret, with the right to display the private banner, came to be granted for distinguished service in the field.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 3 "Banks" to "Bassoon"
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘banneret’.
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You're a Grand Old Flag
guidon, banderole, gonfalon, pennon, ensign, banner, standard, banneret, oriflamme, pennant, jack, saltire and 64 more...
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dark and bright words of shine and fi...
scotophil, scotoma, scotia, shed, shadow, shade, scone, whiting, edelweiss, light, lightning, lucina and 349 more...
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The Lies of Locke Lamora
Words and phrases from Scott Lynch's book, The Lies of Locke Lamora
constable, windfall, sternum, commensurate, disinter, grotty, thresher shark, savvy, miser, reticent, magnanimous, trowel and 301 more...
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