heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

, an annulet (i.e. "little ring") is a common charge, which can be described as a roundel that has been "voided" (i.e. with its centre cut out). In the 19th century, it was theorised by

Webster's Dictionary ''Webster's Dictionary'' is any of the US English language dictionaries edited in the early 19th century by Noah Webster (1758–1843), a US lexicographer, as well as numerous related or unrelated dictionaries that have adopted the Webster's n ...

to be related to the custom of

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Minister (Christianity), Christian clergy who is an Ordinary (church officer), ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which me ...

s to receive their investiture ''per baculum et annulum'' ('by rod and ring'). In English and

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

heraldry it is also used as the difference mark of a fifth son.

References

Heraldic charges {{heraldry-stub fr:Liste des meubles héraldiques#Annelet