squire

[skwahyuhr] noun, verb, squired, squir·ing.
noun
1.
(in England) a country gentleman, especially 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.
00:10
Squire is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
to bark; yelp.
to flee; abscond:

Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English squier; aphetic variant of esquire

squire·less, adjective
squire·like, adjective
un·squired, adjective
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
squire (skwaɪə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  a country gentleman in England, esp the main landowner in a rural community
2.  feudal history a young man of noble birth, who attended upon a knight
3.  rare a man who courts or escorts a woman
4.  informal chiefly (Brit) a term of address used by one man to another, esp, unless ironic, to a member of a higher social class
5.  (Austral) See snapper an immature snapper
 
vb
6.  (tr) (of a man) to escort (a woman)
 
[C13: from Old French esquier; see esquire]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

squire
late 13c., "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 1670s; 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 late 14c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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