| 释义 |
▪ I. esquire, n.1|ɪˈskwaɪə(r)|
Forms: 5–7 esquier, -yer, (5 esqwyer, 6 esquior, -yor, 6–7 escuir, -ier), 6– esquire.
[a. OF. esquier (mod.F. écuyer), corresp. to Pr. escuier, escudier, escuder, Sp. escudero, Pg. escudeiro, It. scudiere, lit. ‘shield-bearer’:—L. scūtārius, f. scūtum shield. See also squire, which in our quotations appears much earlier.
In Fr. the use of the word has been influenced by a mistaken association with écurie (OF. escurie), see equerry. Some traces of this confusion appear in English use.]
1. a. Chivalry. A young man of gentle birth, who as an aspirant to knighthood, attended upon a knight, carried his shield, and rendered him other services. (Now only arch., the form squire being commonly used Hist.) Cf. armiger, page.
1475Caxton Jason, Ther ne abode knight ne esquyer in the sadyl. 1601F. Tate Househ. Ord. Edw. II, §1 (1876) 6 If he be but an ordinari knight..he shal have diet for two esquiers. 1656Cowley Davideis iv. 849 This saw, and heard with joy the brave Esquire..fill'd with his Masters fire. 1852C. M. Yonge Cameos II. xviii. 193 Hard work the good esquire seems to have had.
†b. As a rendering of L. armiger armour-bearer, Gr. ὑπασπιστής shield-bearer. Obs.
1553Brende Q. Curtius 172 (R.) Alexander..willed a weapon to be deliuered to hys hands, as other esquiers vsed. 1603Holland Plutarch's Mor. 427 His [Epaminondas'] esquire or shield-bearer had received a good piece of money for the ransome of a prisoner. 1609Bible (Douay) 1 Macc. iv. 30 Jonathas Sauls sonne, and..his esquyer.
c. Applied to various officers in the service of a king or nobleman, as esquire for (or of) the body, esquire of the chamber, esquire of the stable [cf. equerry, which was sometimes confused with this], carving esquire, etc.
1495Act 11 Hen. VII, c. 32 §7 David Philippe, Esquyer for the body of oure Sovereign Lord the Kyng. 1587Fleming Contn. Holinshed III. 1381/2 Chiefe escuir of the kings escuir, and the other escuires of the escuir togither. 1601F. Tate Househ. Ord. Edw. II, §26 (1876) 18 The kinge shall have..an esquier to carve before the kinge.
2. A man belonging to the higher order of English gentry, ranking immediately below a knight.
Of esquires, legally so called, there are, according to some authorities, five classes: ‘(1) younger sons of peers and their eldest sons; (2) eldest sons of knights, and their eldest sons; (3) chiefs of ancient families (by prescription); (4) esquires by creation or office, as heralds and sergeants of arms, judges, officers of state, naval and military officers, justices of the peace, barristers-at-law; (5) esquires who attend the Knight of the Bath on his installation—usually two specially appointed’ (Encycl. Brit., s.v.). The correctness of this enumeration, however, is greatly disputed; it would be impossible here to state the divergent views on the subject. In heraldic Latin the equivalent of esquire was armiger, properly = ‘armour-bearer’, but often taken in the sense ‘one bearing (heraldic) arms’; hence, in 16th and 17th c. esquire was sometimes explained as meaning a man entitled to coat-armour; but by accurate writers this is condemned as involving the confusion between ‘esquire’ and ‘gentleman’.
c1460Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1714) 41 His Highness schal then have.. aboute his Persone..Lords, Knights, and Esquyers. 1535Wriothesley Chron. (1875) I. 27 A jurie of esquiers and gentlemen of Middlesex were sworne to passe on them. 1577Harrison England ii. v. (1877) 1. 127 Esquire (which we call commonlie Squire) is a French word..and such are all those which beare armes..testimonies of their race. 1793Blackstone Comm. i. ix. (ed. 12) 352 The statute 13 Ric. II. c. 7 orders them [justices of the peace] to be of the most sufficient knights, esquires, and gentlemen of the law. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) III. 265 The second sort of persons were those who had titles, as esquires, etc.
b. A landed proprietor, (country) ‘squire’. arch.
1597Shakes. 2 Hen. IV, iii. ii. 63, I am Robert Shallow (Sir) a poore Esquire of this Countie, and one of the Kings Justices of the Peace. 1827Lytton Pelham xii, There was, indeed, a motley congregation; country esquires; extracts from the universities; half-pay officers, [etc.]. 1848Macaulay Hist. Eng. iii. (L.), An esquire passed among his neighbours for a great scholar, if, etc.
3. As a title accompanying a man's name. Originally applied to those who were ‘esquires’ in sense 2; subsequently extended to other persons to whom an equivalent degree of rank or status is by courtesy attributed.
a. Following the surname preceded by the Christian name. In formal documents written in full; elsewhere commonly abbreviated Esq. or Esqr. (In ceremonious use, e.g. in legal writings or in genealogy, when the name of the person's estate or of his place of residence is given, the title is, by English custom, placed last, as ‘A.B., of C., Esquire’; in Scotland, on the contrary, the title immediately follows the surname. Similarly, in England the title ‘esquire’ traditionally follows the designation ‘Junior’ or ‘The Younger’, but in Scotland precedes it.)
The designation of ‘esquire’ is now commonly understood to be due by courtesy to all persons (not in clerical orders or having any higher title of rank) who are regarded as ‘gentlemen’ by birth, position, or education. It is used only on occasions of more or less ceremonious mention, and in the addresses of letters, etc.; on other occasions the prefix ‘Mr.’ is employed instead. When ‘esquire’ is appended to a name, no prefixed title (such as ‘Mr.,’ ‘Doctor,’ ‘Captain,’ etc.) is used. In the U.S. the title belongs officially to lawyers and public officers.
1552–3Inv. Ch. Goods, Staffs. in Ann. Litchfield IV. 46 Walter Wrotcheley & Edward Lyttylton, esquyors, by vertue of the kynges majesties comyssion. 1599Shakes. Hen. V, iv. viii. 109 Davy Gam, esquire. 1655Fuller Ch. Hist. ix. vi. §2 Anthony Brown at Tolethorp in Rutland Esquire. 1709Steele Tatler No. 19 ⁋2 If you read the superscriptions to all the offices in the kingdom, you will not find three letters directed to any but esquires. 1711Budgell Spect. No. 150 ⁋7 My Banker..writes me Mr. or Esq.; accordingly as he sees me dressed. 1711Hearne Collect. (Oxf. Hist. Soc.) III. 111, I shall be glad to know..whether he be Esqr. that I may give him his true Title when I reprint the List. 1867Miss Mulock Two Marriages I. 42 ‘Jane, wife of Mr. John Bowerbank’ (he was not Esquire then). 1887Scott. Leader 12 May 6 The Clerk said that some letters were addressed Esquire and some not.
†b. Preceding the surname. Obs. (Cf. the similar use of squire.)
1710Lond. Gaz. No. 4761/4 Stolen..out of Esquire Chester's Stables..a..Horse. 1712Arbuthnot John Bull (1755) 1 His cousin esquire South. 1730Southall Bugs 17 Esquire [ed. 2 (1793) Mr.] Pitfield and Mr. White.
4. [transf. use of 1.] A gentleman who attends or escorts a lady in public. Cf. squire.
1824Byron Juan xvi. ci, Their docile esquires also did the same. 1875W. S. Hayward Love agst. World 13 ‘Come on, my brave esquire,’ said Florence.
5. Comb. Only appositive; chiefly in sense 1 c. Also esquire bedel: see beadle 3.
c1600Epitaph in Strype Stow's Surv. (1754) I. iii. i. 535/1 Esquire-Joyner to our Queen. 1601F. Tate Househ. Ord. Edw. II, §14 (1876) 13 This esquier fruiterer shal take every night for his coch, a galon of beare. 1797T. Johnes tr. La Brocquière's Trav. 48 Among them was his [Duke Philip le Bon's] first esquire carver La Brocquière.
▪ II. esquire, n.2 Her.|ɪˈskwaɪə(r)|
Also 6 equire; and see squire2.
[app. a. OF. esquire (mod.F. équerre) square (now only mason's square, but formerly also the geometrical figure).
Perhaps based esquire may represent OF. bas d'esquire, bottom of a square. Guillim and R. Holme use squire both in the sense explained below and for a figure of a mason's square; the latter is the sense of équerre in Fr. heraldry.]
a. esquire based: used by Leigh for the lower of the halves into which a canton is divided diagonally.
b. Apparently by misunderstanding of this use, esquire is explained by later writers as a synonym of gyron, or as a bearing somewhat resembling the gyron, but ending elsewhere than in the centre of the shield.
1562Leigh Armorie 154 Thre pallets between ij Equires [ed. 1597 Esquires] bast dexter and sinister of the second. [1610J. Guillim Heraldry 61 A Canton parted trauerse⁓waies, whether it be from the Dexter corner or from the Sinister, doth make two Base Squires.] 1889Elvin Dict. Her., Esquire, Similar to the Gyron; it may extend across the shield; termed also a Base Esquire.
▪ III. esquire, v. rare.|ɪˈskwaɪə(r)|
[f. esquire n.1]
trans. a. To raise to the rank of esquire. b. To address as ‘Esquire’. c. To attend (a lady) as a ‘squire’. Hence eˈsquired ppl. a.
a1652Brome City Wit iv. i, By'r Lady a match for my Esquir'd Son and heire. 1786F. Burney Diary III. 240 He proposed that the Colonel and himself should esquire me. 1796Ibid. VI. 60 M. d'Arblay again ventured to esquire me to the rails round the lodge. 1824Byron Juan xvi. lxix, All country gentlemen, esquired or knighted, May drop in without cards. 1887Scott. Leader 12 May 6 The Rev. Mr. Cameron, of Farnell..asked why one elder was ‘Esquired’ and another not. |