Forms: 4, 6 squier, 5 squyer (swyer), sqwier, 6 squyre, 6– squire, 8 ’squire. [f. SQUIRE sb.]
1. trans. Of a man: To attend (a lady) as, or after the manner of, a squire; to accompany, conduct, or serve as escort to; to escort. (Freq. in the 17th and 18th c.) a. With adverbs and preps.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Wife’s Prol., 305. And for he squiereth me bothe vp and doun, Yet hastow caught a fals suspecioun.
1588. E. D., XIth Idyl Theocritus, A 4. When I as Vsher, squirde you [i.e., Galatea] all the waie.
1606. Dekker, Seven Deadly Sins, Wks. (Grosart), II. 45. Hee walkes vp and downe the streetes squiring old Midwiues to anie house.
1668. Shadwell, Sullen Lovers, V. Will you please to squire me along?
1711. Swift, Jrnl. to Stella, 1 Oct. I squired his lady out of her chaise to-day, and must visit her in a day or two.
1751. Eliza Heywood, Betsy Thoughtless, I. 56. [She] suffered herself to be … squir’d about to all public places, either by the rake, the man of honour, the wit, or the fool.
1821. Scott, Kenilw., iv. Manhood enough to squire a proud dame-citizen to the lecture at Saint Antonlin’s.
1857. Dickens, Dorrit, II. vi. 373. Mr. Sparkler humbly offered his arm. Miss Fanny accepting it, was squired up the great staircase.
1866. R. Chambers, Ess., Ser. II. 93. He was … fond of … visits from ladies, whom … he would squire about his garden.
transf. 1686. Goad, Celest. Bodies, III. iii. 456. That [star] of 1365 … was squired in by a Comet.
b. Without const.
1530. Palsgr., 731. I squier, I wayte upon, je baille attendance. Ibid. Is he your servant, he can squyre you as well as ever you were in your lyfe.
1599. B. Jonson, Ev. Man out of Hum., Dram. Pers., His chiefe exercises are taking the Whiffe, squiring a Cockatrice.
1639. Mayne, City Match, II. vi. A Gentleman of valour who has been In Moore-fields often … to squire his sisters.
a. 1692. Shadwell, Volunteers, II. i. (1693), 20. Pray if you see my Daughter, do you Squire her.
1731. Swift, To Gay, Wks. 1751, IV. I. 168. To ’squire a royal girl of two years old.
1751. Smollett, Per. Pickle, lxxx. Not a lady of fashion in the kingdom scrupled … to be squired by him.
1800. A. Carlyle, Autobiog., 187. Lady Catherine Lyon, whom I squired that night, and with whom I danced.
1855. Kingsley, Westw. Ho! xii. ‘Escort me, sir.’ ‘It is but too great an honour to squire the Queen of Bideford,’ said Cary, offering his hand.
1887. T. A. Trollope, What I remember, I. xii. 254. I have since squired many fairer and younger dames.
transf. 1838. Mrs. Bray, Tradit. Devonsh., I. 214. Some ladies, who are not afraid of singularity, will occasionally squire one another when they are in want of a beau; and this is called riding jollifant.
1896. Westm. Gaz., 28 April, 5/2. Sir Richard Webster, squired by Mr. Cuffe and Mr. Angus Lewis, made his appearance also in good time.
† c. transf. To act or serve as an escort or guard to; to convoy. Obs.
a. 1578. Lindesay (Pitscottie), Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.), I. 366. The King of France … gart … prepair schips and gallayis … to squyre the king of Scottland his sone and his douchter throw the sie.
1599. Nashe, Lenten Stuff, Wks. (Grosart), V. 249. Robin hoode and little Iohn … are industrious and carefull to squire and safe conduct him in.
1632. Holland, Cyrupædia, 175. To imagine that we ought to entertaine others for the guard and safetie of our persons, and be not a guard to squire and defend ourselves.
2. intr. With it: To act as a squire; to play the squire; to rule or domineer over as a country squire.
1672. Marvell, Reh. Transp., I. 69. It were a wild thing for me to Squire it after this Knight.
1739. ‘R. Bull,’ trans. Dedekindus’ Grobianus, 91. Survey the Great, in City, Town, or Court, Who ’squire or lord it o’er the meaner Sort.
3. trans. To entitle or call ‘Squire’ or ‘Esquire.’
1832. Tennyson, in Ld. H. Tennyson, Mem. (1897), I. 91. The title-page may be simply ‘Poems By Alfred Tennyson’ (don’t let the printer squire me).
