Main Entry: es·quire

Pronunciation: \ˈes-ˌkwī(-ə)r, is-ˈ\

Function: noun

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

Date: 15th century

1 : a member of the English gentry ranking below a knight
2 : a candidate for knighthood serving as shield bearer and attendant to a knight
3 —used as a title of courtesy usually placed in its abbreviated form after the surname <John R. Smith, Esq.>
4 archaic : a landed proprietor