What is an Esquire?

Meaning of word esquire:

Pronunciation:'es-"kwIr,

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French escuier 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 knight

2 : a candidate for knighthood serving as shield bearer and attendant to a knight

3 : used as a title of courtesy by lawyers usually placed in its abbreviated form after the surname

4 archaic : a landed proprietor