annulet

[an-yuh-lit]

noun

Also called bandelet, bandlet, square and rabbet. Architecture. an encircling band, molding, or fillet, as on the shaft of a column.
Entomology. a ring, usually colored, around or on the surface of an organ.
Heraldry. a ring, represented as a voided roundel, used especially as the cadence mark of a fifth son.

Origin of annulet

1565–75; < Latin annul(us) ring (see annulus) + -et; replacing earlier anlet < Anglo-French anelet, diminutive of Old French anel ring < Latin ānellus ring

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Examples from the Web for annulet

Historical Examples of annulet

The first crosslet is charged with an annulet, probably as a mark of cadency.
A Complete Guide to Heraldry
Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
Said of any charge when its central area is removed—thus, an Annulet is a false roundle.
The Handbook to English Heraldry
Charles Boutell
Cotgrave gives: 'Touret, the annulet, or little ring whereby a hawk's lune is fastened unto the jesses.'
Chaucer's Works, Volume 5 (of 7) -- Notes to the Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer
The Annulet seems to have been taken from the ring armour, much in use about the period of the Norman Conquest.
The Curiosities of Heraldry
Mark Antony Lower

British Dictionary definitions for annulet

annulet

noun

architect a moulding in the form of a ring, as at the top of a column adjoining the capital
heraldry a ring-shaped device on a shield; hollow roundel
a little ring

Word Origin for annulet

C16: from Latin ānulus ring + -et

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012