A man or boy who is a member of the gentry in England ranking directly below a knight.
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.
In medieval times, a candidate for knighthood who served a knight as an attendant and a shield bearer.
Archaic An English country gentleman; a squire.
[Middle English esquier, from Old French escuier, from Late Latin scūtārius, shield bearer, from Latin scūtum, shield; see skei- in Indo-European roots.]
(ěs'kwīr', ĭ-skwīr') 