a. Furnished with, or bearing, banners. “A bannered host.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.[ OE. baneret, OF. baneret, F. banneret; properly a dim. of OF. baniere. See Banner. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Originally, a knight who led his vassals into the field under his own banner; -- commonly used as a title of rank. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A title of rank, conferred for heroic deeds, and hence, an order of knighthood; also, the person bearing such title or rank. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The usual mode of conferring the rank on the field of battle was by cutting or tearing off the point of the pennon or pointed flag on the spear of the candidate, thereby making it a banner. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A civil officer in some Swiss cantons. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A small banner. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having banners. [ 1913 Webster ]

pl. Knights bannerets. A knight who carried a banner, who possessed fiefs to a greater amount than the knight bachelor, and who was obliged to serve in war with a greater number of attendants. The dignity was sometimes conferred by the sovereign in person on the field of battle. [ 1913 Webster ]