squire

English

Wikipedia

Pronunciation

• Audio (US)

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• Rhymes: -aɪə(r)

Etymology 1

From Middle English esquire, from Old French, from Latin scutarius (“shield-bearer”), from scutum (“shield”), from Proto-Indo-European *skei- (“to cut, split”), which is an extension of Proto-Indo-European *sek- (“to cut”). Related to Ancient Greek σκῦτος (skūtos).

Noun

squire (plural squires)

1. A shield-bearer or armor-bearer who attended a knight.
2. A title of dignity next in degree below knight, and above gentleman. See esquire.
3. A male attendant on a great personage.
4. A devoted attendant or follower of a lady; a beau.
5. A title of office and courtesy. See under esquire.
6. (UK, colloquial) Term of address to an equal.

Translations

armor-bearer who attended a knight

• Bulgarian: оръженосец (bg) (orǎženósec) m
• Catalan: escuder (ca)
• Dutch: schildknaap (nl) m
• Esperanto: varleto (eo)
• Finnish: aseenkantaja (fi)
• French: écuyer (fr) m
• Galician: escudeiro (gl) m
• German: Schildknappe (de) m, Knappe (de) m

• Italian: scudiero (it) m
• Macedonian: штитоносец (mk) (štitonósec) m
• Polish: giermek (pl) m
• Portuguese: escudeiro (pt)
• Romanian: moşier (ro)
• Russian: оруженосец (ru) (oruženósec) m
• Spanish: escudero (es)
• Swedish: väpnare (sv) c, vapendragare (sv) c

title of dignity

• French: seigneur (fr) m, châtelain (fr) m
• German: Kavalier (de) m

• Italian: gentiluomo (it) m, nobiluomo (it) m di (it) campagna (it) f, castellano (it) m
• Russian: сквайр (ru) (skvajr) m, эсквайр (ru) (eskvájr) m, помещик (ru) (poméščik) m (landowner), кавалер (ru) (kavalér) m

male attendant

• French: valet (fr) m, majordome (fr) m
• German: Galan (de) m
• Italian: valletto (it) m, maggiordomo (it) m

• Macedonian: момок (mk) (mómok) m
• Russian: камердинер (ru) (kamerdíner) m

male follower of a lady

• Finnish: seuralainen (fi), kavaljeeri (fi)
• French: cavalier (fr) m, escorte (fr) f

• Italian: cicisbeo (it) m
• Russian: кавалер (ru) (kavalér) m

title of office and courtesy

• Finnish: herra (fi)
• Italian: gentiluomo (it) m

• Russian: господин (ru) (gospodín) m

Verb

squire (third-person singular simple present squires, present participle squiring, simple past and past participle squired)

1. To attend as a squire

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Chaucer to this entry?)

2. To attend as a beau, or gallant, for aid and protection

   to squire a lady

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Goldsmith to this entry?)

Etymology 2

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

Noun

squire (plural squires)

1. (obsolete) A ruler; a carpenter's square; a measure.
   • 1598, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

     But temperaunce, said he, with golden squire, / Betwixt them both can measure out a meane.

   • 1598, William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost, V, 2, 474.

     do not you know my lady's foot by the squire.

   • 1620, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy

     "as for a workman not to know his axe, saw, squire, or any other toole,"

   • 1628, William Shakespeare, The Winter's Tale, IV, 4, 348.

     twelve foot and a half by the squire.

Anagrams

• quires
• risque, risqué