[es-kwahyuh
r, e-skwahyuhr] 
noun, verb, -quired, -quir⋅ing.| 1. | (initial capital letter) an unofficial title of respect, having no precise significance, sometimes placed, esp. 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. |
| 2. | squire (def. 2). |
| 3. | a man belonging to the order of English gentry ranking next below a knight. |
| 4. | Archaic. squire (def. 1). |
| 5. | to raise to the rank of esquire. |
| 6. | to address as “Esquire.” |
| 7. | to escort or attend in public. |
| es·quire (ěs'kwīr', ĭ-skwīr') n.
[Middle English esquier, from Old French escuier, from Late Latin scūtārius, shield bearer, from Latin scūtum, shield; see skei- in Indo-European roots.] |
esquire
originally, a knight's shield bearer, who would probably himself in due course be dubbed a knight; the word is derived from the Old French esquier and earlier from the Latin scutarius.
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