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squire

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squire

[skwahyuhr] ,noun, verb, squired, squir⋅ing.
–noun
1. (in England) a country gentleman, esp. the chief landed proprietor in a district.
2. (in the Middle Ages) a young man of noble birth who as an aspirant to knighthood served a knight.
3. a personal attendant, as of a person of rank.
4. a man who accompanies or escorts a woman.
5. a title applied to a justice of the peace, local judge, or other local dignitary of a rural district or small town.
–verb (used with object)
6. to attend as, or in the manner of, a squire.
7. to escort (a woman), as to a dance or social gathering.

Origin:
1250–1300; ME squier; aph. var. of esquire


squireless, adjective
squirelike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To squire
squire   (skwīr)   
n.  
  1. A man who attends or escorts a woman; a gallant.

  2. An English country gentleman, especially the chief landowner in a district.

  3. A judge or another local dignitary.

  4. A young nobleman attendant upon a knight and ranked next below a knight in feudal hierarchy.

tr.v.   squired, squir·ing, squires
To attend as a squire; escort.

[Middle English squier, from Old French esquier; see esquire.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

squire 
c.1290, "young man who attends a knight," later "member of the landowning class ranking below a knight" (c.1300), from O.Fr. esquier "squire," lit. "shield carrier" (see esquire). Meaning "country gentleman, landed proprietor" is from 1676; as a general term of address to a gentleman, it is attested from 1828. The verb meaning "to attend (a lady) as a gallant" is first recorded c.1386.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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