esquire

[es-kwahyuh r, e-skwahyuh r]

noun

(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. Abbreviation: Esq.

squire(def 2).

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

Archaic. squire(def 1).

verb (used with object), es·quired, es·quir·ing.

to raise to the rank of esquire.

to address as “Esquire.”

to escort or attend in public.

RELATED WORDS

sir, man, monsieur, signor

Origin of esquire

1425–75; late Middle English esquier < Middle French escuier < Latin scūtārius shield bearer, equivalent to scūt(um) (see scutage) + -ārius -ary

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for esquire

Contemporary Examples of esquire

“[I]ndeed, the Civil War was more or less administered from there,” an Esquire review asserts.
The Bars That Made America Great
Nina Strochlic
December 28, 2014
Over the years, Crawford has been largely silent, speaking out only for an as-told-to obituary to Houston published in Esquire.
Inside the Lifetime Whitney Houston Movie’s Lesbian Lover Storyline
Kevin Fallon
December 16, 2014
“It really sucks to be in your younger twenties,” Colfer told Esquire.
Chris Colfer on Writing, Acting, and the Pain of Being A Pop Culture Trailblazer
Oliver Jones
December 15, 2014
He wrote about their time together for the April 1982 issue of Esquire (and the piece appears here with the author's permission).
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days
David Freeman
December 13, 2014
This gives Nagrani greater satisfaction than to have Esquire last year crown his socks “the best in the world”.
The Hot Designer Who Hates Fashion: VK Nagrani Triumphs His Own Way
Tom Teodorczuk
December 1, 2014

Historical Examples of esquire

If the Esquire were to be snipped once and for ever from the tail of my name I should be the lighter for it.
The Stark Munro Letters
J. Stark Munro
We have just returned this morning from visiting Mrs. Esquire Lee.
Journal of a Young Lady of Virginia, 1782
Lucinda Lee Orr
Esquire does not mean squire, and esq. does not mean anything.
A Short History of England
G. K. Chesterton
Then would follow two or three local worthies with Esquire after their names.
Elsie Venner
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
They had now reached a stone wall which fronted the estate of Esquire Duncan.
Jessie Carlton
Francis Forrester

British Dictionary definitions for esquire

esquire

noun

mainly British a title of respect, usually abbreviated Esq, placed after a man's name

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

rare a male escort

Word Origin for esquire

C15: from Old French escuier, from Late Latin scūtārius shield bearer, from Latin scūtum shield

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for esquire

late 14c., from Middle French esquier "squire," literally "shield-bearer" (for a knight), from Old French escuyer, from Vulgar Latin scutarius "shield-bearer, guardsman" (in classical Latin, "shield-maker"), from scutum "shield" (see hide (n.1)).

For initial e-, see especial. Cf. squire. Originally the feudal rank below knight, sense broadened 16c. to a general title of courtesy or respect for the educated class, especially, later, in U.S., for lawyers.