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esquire

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esquire

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 knight2: a candidate for knighthood serving as shield bearer and attendant to a knight3—used as a title of courtesy usually placed in its abbreviated form after the surname <John R. Smith, Esq.>4archaic : a landed proprietor

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