esquire

American  

[es-kwahy^uhr, e-skwahyuhr] / ˈɛs kwaɪər, ɛˈskwaɪər /

noun

1. (initial capital letter) an unofficial title of respect, having no precise significance, sometimes placed, especially in its abbreviated form, after a man's surname in formal written address: in the U.S., usually applied to lawyers, women as well as men; in Britain, applied to a commoner considered to have gained the social position of a gentleman. Esq.

2. squire.

3. a man belonging to the order of English gentry ranking next below a knight.

4. Archaic. squire.

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verb (used with object)

esquired, esquiring

1. to raise to the rank of esquire.

2. to address as “Esquire.”

3. to escort or attend in public.

esquire British  

/ ɪˈskwaɪə /

noun

1. a title of respect, usually abbreviated Esq, placed after a man's name

2. (in medieval times) the attendant and shield bearer of a knight, subsequently often knighted himself

3. rare a male escort

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Etymology

Origin of esquire

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English esquier, from Middle French escuier, from Latin scūtārius “shield bearer,” from scūt(um) scutum + -ārius -ary

Example Sentences

Among his recommendations, Rees-Mogg asks that “all non-titled males” are given the abbreviation Esq., for esquire, after their name.

From The Guardian • Jul. 29, 2019

OK, esquire, but I go back to what I was taught on the first day of law school: 1.

From New York Times • Mar. 20, 2018

One of the last Senators to be born an esquire, Burnet Rhett Maybank, 55, died last week of a heart attack.

From Time Magazine Archive

If Calvin Klein is the icon of minimalism, Ralph Lauren the elegant esquire and Donna Karan the workingwoman's tailor, Jacobs is the eclectic sampler who has ushered in an era of sophisticated charm in fashion.

From Time Magazine Archive

But at that very moment a trumpet sounded, and a man came summoning him, the king’s esquire, to wait at the king’s board.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien