esquire

noun es·quire \ˈes-ˌkwī(-ə)r, is-ˈ\

Definition of ESQUIRE

: a member of the English gentry ranking below a knight

: a candidate for knighthood serving as shield bearer and attendant to a knight

—used as a title of courtesy usually placed in its abbreviated form after the surname <John R. Smith, Esq.>

archaic : a landed proprietor

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Middle English, from Anglo-French esquier squire, from Late Latin scutarius, from Latin scutum shield; akin to Old Irish sciath shield

First Known Use: 15th century

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