- esquire
- late 14c., from M.Fr. esquier "squire," lit. "shield-bearer" (for a knight), from O.Fr., from L. scutarius "shield-bearer, guardsman," from scutum "shield" (see hide (n.1)). Cf. squire. Originally the feudal rank below knight, sense broadened 16c. to a general title of courtesy or respect for the educated class, especially, later, in U.S., for lawyers.