a group of persons, or a single person, accompanying another or others for protection, guidance, or courtesy: An escort of sailors accompanied the queen.
2.
an armed guard, as a body of soldiers or ships: The president traveled with a large escort of motorcycle police.
3.
a man or boy who accompanies a woman or girl in public, as to a social event.
4.
protection, safeguard, or guidance on a journey: to travel without escort.
1570s, from M.Fr. escorte, from It. scorta, lit. "a guiding," from scorgere "to guide," from V.L. *excorrigere, from ex- "out" + corrigere "set right" (see correct). The military sense is original; that of "person accompanying another to a social occasion" is 1936. The verb