Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A man who attends or escorts a woman; a gallant.
  • noun An English country gentleman, especially the chief landowner in a district.
  • noun A magistrate or justice of the peace.
  • noun A local dignitary.
  • noun A young nobleman attendant upon a knight and ranked next below a knight in feudal hierarchy.
  • transitive verb To attend as a squire; escort.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An esquire; an attendant on a knight.
  • noun A gentleman who attends upon a lady; an escort; a beau; a gallant.
  • noun A person not noble nor a knight, but who has received a grant of arms.
  • noun In England, a landed proprietor who is also justice of the peace: a term nearly equivalent to lord of the manor, as meaning the holder of most of the land in any neighborhood.
  • noun In the United States, in country districts and towns, a justice of the peace, a local judge, or other local dignitary: chiefly used as a title.
  • noun The schnapper when two years old. See schnapper.
  • To attend and wait upon, as a squire his lord.
  • To attend, as a gentleman a lady; wait upon or attend upon in the manner of a squire; escort.
  • noun An old form of square.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To attend as a squire.
  • transitive verb colloq. To attend as a beau, or gallant, for aid and protection.
  • noun A shield-bearer or armor-bearer who attended a knight.
  • noun engraving A title of dignity next in degree below knight, and above gentleman. See Esquire.
  • noun A male attendant on a great personage; also (Colloq.), a devoted attendant or follower of a lady; a beau.
  • noun A title of office and courtesy. See under Esquire.
  • noun obsolete A square; a measure; a rule.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A shield-bearer or armor-bearer who attended a knight.
  • noun A title of dignity next in degree below knight, and above gentleman. See esquire.
  • noun A male attendant on a great personage.
  • noun A devoted attendant or follower of a lady; a beau.
  • noun A title of office and courtesy. See under esquire.
  • verb To attend as a squire
  • verb To attend as a beau, or gallant, for aid and protection
  • noun obsolete A ruler; a carpenter's square; a measure.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an English country landowner
  • noun a man who attends or escorts a woman
  • verb attend upon as a squire; serve as a squire
  • noun young nobleman attendant on a knight

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English squier, from Old French esquier; see esquire.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English esquire, from Old French, from Latin scutarius ("shield-bearer")

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle French esquierre ("rule, carpenter's square"), from Old French esquarre ("square") See square.

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Examples

  • They're nothing to him, just ants; the squire is another Harry Lime, moved back some generations and up a few rungs on the social ladder.

    Lance Mannion: 2010

  • They're nothing to him, just ants; the squire is another Harry Lime, moved back some generations and up a few rungs on the social ladder.

    The Mannionville Daily Gazettes Favorite Blog of the Day: Favorite Film Blogger Anniversary Edition 2010

  • Sancho the trusty albeit sarcastic squire is one of the best characters in literature and is reason enough to read this tome.

    I am going to Korca 2005

  • Sancho the trusty albeit sarcastic squire is one of the best characters in literature and is reason enough to read this tome.

    week three 2005

  • Sancho the trusty albeit sarcastic squire is one of the best characters in literature and is reason enough to read this tome.

    Open Response to Dave Stadler 2005

  • Sancho the trusty albeit sarcastic squire is one of the best characters in literature and is reason enough to read this tome.

    Beginning of July 2005

  • Sancho the trusty albeit sarcastic squire is one of the best characters in literature and is reason enough to read this tome.

    Chris in Albania: 2005

  • Sancho the trusty albeit sarcastic squire is one of the best characters in literature and is reason enough to read this tome.

    Disclaimer 2005

  • Sancho the trusty albeit sarcastic squire is one of the best characters in literature and is reason enough to read this tome.

    Week of Traveling 2005

  • Sancho the trusty albeit sarcastic squire is one of the best characters in literature and is reason enough to read this tome.

    Chris in Albania: 2005

Comments

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  • From Wikipedia: "The English word squire comes from the Old French escuier (modern French écuyer), itself derived from the Late Latin scutarius ("shield bearer"). The Classical Latin equivalent was armiger, 'arms bearer.'"

    I think the scutarius part is cool.

    November 8, 2007

  • Essentially, the meaning of the words knight and squire flipped.

    November 8, 2007