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Glite Dictionary
baronet

baronet

4 9.8
A man with a British title passed down in a family lower than a baron and higher than a knight
  • noun
  • /ˈbɛrəˌnɛt/
  • UK
translation icon : baronet
  • "Sir Thomas Sharpe, Baronet."
  • baronet and lord

Examples

  • The chest contained the ransom of one king, three dukes, and a baronet.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • In 1930, he was made a baronet for his service to the nation.

    Academic text (1997)

  • A baronet must be seen to live like a baronet.

    Persuasion (1995)

  • It's rather nice, really, to be a baronet.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • "My elder brother is a baronet, you know."

    Fiction book (1992)

  • I trust my son and heir will have a father worthy of a baronet.

    Lady Chatterley's Lover (1981)

  • In 1911, he was made a baronet.

    Academic text (2003)

  • But anyone with the title Sir Thomas Jones, Baronet, not only has the title, but his heirs also inherit the title.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The eleventh Ingraham baronet of Illsworth died yesterday, as his younger brother did two weeks ago.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • In 1930, he was made a baronet for his service to the nation.

Synonyms

nobleman
vsbaronet
14 5.6

A man from a high social class who has a title

is a specific British hereditary rank below a baron and above a knight

Surface Forms

baronet singular
baronets plural

Morphology

baronet = baron (semi-transparent) = baron + et

Formed from 'baron' + diminutive suffix '-et' suggesting a 'lesser' baron, but the precise institutional meaning (a specific hereditary rank) is specialized and not fully predictable by learners.

Etymology

Baronet comes from baron ('noble' or 'lord') plus the French ending -et ('small'), so it originally meant a 'little baron'. That's why a baronet is a title that is passed down in a family and ranks below a baron but above a knight.