What does cornetcy mean?
A cornetcy is the rank or commission of a cornet — historically the lowest grade of commissioned officer in a British cavalry regiment. The word belongs to a small family of terms built with the suffix '-cy' that denote military or civil offices, alongside colonelcy and captaincy, and it can refer either to the office itself or to the period during which it was held. Cornets were typically very young gentlemen, sometimes still in their teens, and before the Cardwell reforms of 1871 their commissions could be purchased outright, making the cornetcy a familiar entry point for aristocratic military careers. With the abolition of the rank in 1871, the term fell out of active service use, but it survives in historical fiction, regimental histories, and genealogical records, where it evokes the social world of the Victorian and Regency British Army.
nounThe rank or commission of a cornet, the lowest grade of commissioned officer in a British cavalry regiment; by extension, the period of service or tenure in that position.
- The rank or commission of a cornet, the lowest grade of commissioned officer in a British cavalry regiment.
- The tenure or period during which one held the rank of cornet.
"He purchased his cornetcy in a light cavalry regiment at the remarkably young age of sixteen."
"At eighteen he was gazetted to a cornetcy in a regiment of hussars."
"His cornetcy lasted barely a year before promotion took him to lieutenant."
Standard plural, used when referring to multiple commissions or tenures, e.g. in regimental records.
"The muster rolls record several cornetcies conferred upon younger sons of landed families."
Before 1871, young Britons could simply buy a cornetcy — a cavalry officer's commission — often as teenagers, which is how many aristocrats began their military careers.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cornetcy
'Cornetcy' derives from 'cornet', the title of the junior-most commissioned officer in British cavalry regiments, combined with the suffix '-cy', which forms nouns denoting rank or office (as in 'colonelcy'). The title 'cornet' itself originally referred to the officer who carried the troop's banner, the cornette, a French word ultimately from Latin 'cornu' meaning horn. The rank existed from the seventeenth century until its abolition in 1871, when it was replaced by that of second lieutenant.
How cornetcy is actually used
A historical and largely obsolete term specific to the British Army; the rank of cornet was abolished in 1871 (replaced by second lieutenant), so 'cornetcy' today appears mainly in historical, genealogical, and regimental writing. Like similar '-cy' terms (colonelcy, captaincy), it can denote both the office itself and its tenure. The purchase of commissions, including cornetcies, was legal until the Cardwell reforms of 1871.
Easily confused with cornetcy
A cornet is the officer or the musical instrument itself, whereas a cornetcy is the rank or commission held by such an officer.