Definition of esquire

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ESR >

es·quire    (skwr, -skwr) KEY 

NOUN:

1. A man or boy who is a member of the gentry in England ranking directly below a knight.
2. Abbr. Esq. Used as an honorific usually in its abbreviated form, especially after the name of an attorney or a consular officer: Jane Doe, Esq.; John Doe, Esq.
3. In medieval times, a candidate for knighthood who served a knight as an attendant and a shield bearer.
4. Archaic An English country gentleman; a squire.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English esquier, from Old French escuier, from Late Latin sctrius, shield bearer, from Latin sctum, shield; see skei- in Indo-European roots