esquire Synonyms & Antonyms
Choose a meaning, then find a word that fits your sentence.
Esquire as a Noun
A lawyer.
A male member of the gentry ranking below a knight.
An honorific sometimes placed after a man's name.
A gentleman who attends or escorts a lady in public.
A squire; a youth who in the hopes of becoming a knight attended upon a knight
A shield-bearer, but also applied to other attendants.
The lower of the halves into which a square is divided diagonally, a single gyron, but potentially larger (extending across the shield) or smaller (for example, on Mortimer's arms).
A bearing somewhat resembling a gyron, but extending across the field so that the point touches the opposite edge of the escutcheon.
Esquire as a Verb
To attend, wait on, escort.
Word Forms & Grammar
esquire (plural esquires)
esquire (third-person singular simple present esquires, present participle esquiring, simple past and past participle esquired)
Words That Rhyme With Esquire
Origin of Esquire
Origin 1: From Middle English esquier, from Old French escuyer, escuier, properly, a shield-bearer (compare modern French écuyer (“shield-bearer, armor-bearer, squire of a knight, esquire, equerry, rider, horseman”)), from Late Latin scūtārius (“shieldmaker, shield-bearer”), from Latin scūtum (“shield”); probably akin to English hide (“to cover”). The term squire is the result of apheresis. Compare equerry, escutcheon.
Origin 2: Old French esquiere, esquierre, esquarre (“a square”) (whence modern French équerre), perhaps via a form like based esquire from bas d'esquire ("bottom of a square"), whence attested forms base (e)squire, e(s)quire bast.
Esquire: Key Facts
| Part of speech | noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ɪˈskwaɪə/ |
| Meaning | A lawyer |
| Plural | esquires |
| Verb forms | esquires, esquiring, esquired |
Questions People Ask About Esquire
Is esquire a noun or a verb?
Esquire is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is the plural of esquire?
The plural of esquire is esquires.
What is the past tense of esquire?
The past tense of esquire is esquired. The present participle is esquiring.