Esquire

(es-kwir,) (abbrev. Esq.) [Fr. écu yer.] Anciently, and in the Middle Ages, the title of a shield-or armor-bearer, or of a person that attended a knight in time of war, and carried his shield and pennon. In modern England, the designation is borne by all persons of gentle blood who are entitled to bear coat armor; to the sons of baronets and knights; to all officers of the govt.; to barristers-at-law, and the like. It has, however, become, both in England and the U. States, a sort of vague and undefined compliment, suffixed to a man's proper name, and intended to serve more as a mark of courtesy than anything else; in this sense, it is understood to apply more particularly to persons of independent fortune, members of the liberal profe ions, and, generally, to people of refinement and education. [s. 342]