baronet

views updated May 29 2018

bar·on·et / ˈbarənit; ˌbarəˈnet/ • n. a member of the lowest hereditary titled British order.

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

baronet

views updated Jun 11 2018

baronet a member of the lowest hereditary titled British order, with the status of a commoner but able to use the prefix ‘Sir’. The term originally denoted a gentleman, not a nobleman, summoned by the king to attend parliament; the current order was instituted in the early 17th century.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable ELIZABETH KNOWLES

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