What does brevet mean?
A brevet is a military commission that grants an officer an honorary or temporary rank above the substantive rank actually held, traditionally without the accompanying pay or permanent authority of that higher grade. Common in the British and especially the United States armies from the eighteenth through nineteenth centuries, brevets allowed commanders to reward battlefield gallantry or recognize seniority when formal promotion was impossible. An officer might be, say, a substantive captain but a brevet major, signing as the higher rank while drawing the lower salary. The term also functions as a verb meaning to confer such a promotion. Today 'brevet' is largely historical vocabulary, appearing chiefly in Civil War histories and regimental records, though it survives in some European militaries and in French administrative usage. Its connotations are those of honor, distinction, and old-fashioned military hierarchy.
An honorary military commission granting rank above an officer's substantive rank, typically without corresponding pay.
"He retired with the brevet rank of brigadier-general."
Primarily historical, associated with the US and British armies of the 18th–19th centuries.
To confer an honorary or nominal military rank on an officer by means of a brevet.
"She was brevetted lieutenant-colonel for conspicuous bravery."
Regular plural; used when referring to multiple commissions or honorary ranks.
"Both officers held brevets dating from the Mexican War."
In the 19th-century US Army, a general could hold four different ranks at once — his brevet ranks were 'honorary' promotions that came with glory, but no extra pay.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of brevet
Brevet comes from French brevet, meaning a written document or official letter, ultimately derived from Latin brevis, 'short' or 'brief'. The word entered English around the seventeenth century, initially referring to any official warrant or papal brief before narrowing to its specific military sense of an honorary commission. It shares its Latin root with related borrowings such as brief, brevity, and breviary.
Related word forms
How brevet is actually used
Largely historical; encountered mainly in accounts of 18th–19th century American and British military history. The verb forms are spelled 'brevetted'/'brevetting' in British usage and often 'breveted'/'breveting' in American usage.
Easily confused with brevet
A buffet is a meal or piece of furniture; a brevet is an honorary military rank — the words merely share a similar shape.