Brevet, a commission conferring on an officer a degree of rank immediately above that which he holds in his particular regiment; without, however, conveying a power to receive the corresponding pay. Brevet rank does not exist in the royal navy, and in the army it neither descends lower than that of captain, nor ascends above that of lieutenant-colonel.
French Law. A privilege or warrant granted by the Government to a private person, authorising a special benefit or the exercise of an exclusive privilege; Black's Law Dictionary, 7th Edn.