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# esq

abbreviation (Esq. – short for «Esquire»)

«esq» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Short for «Esquire»: a polite title written after a man's name, mostly in letters, in old-fashioned British style: «John Smith, Esq.». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/esq/#m1)
2. (USA) Used after the name of a lawyer (man or woman). [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/esq/#m2)

### In the lessons

In The Wind in the Willows Toad is a gentleman, and letters would be addressed to «Toad, Esq., Toad Hall». In history, an esquire was a young man who served a knight (a squire), then a gentleman just below a knight. You write «Esq.» instead of «Mr», never both.

### Examples

- The letter was addressed to «Mr Toad, Esq.» – which is wrong, because you don't use both! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/esq/#x1)
- Write «James Brown, Esq.» on an old-style letter. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/esq/#x2)
- In the USA, «Esq.» after a name often means the person is a lawyer. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/esq/#x3)
- An esquire once carried a knight's shield. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/esq/#x4)
- The invitation said «Henry Wood, Esq.» [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/esq/#x5)
- Old envelopes often show «Esq.» after a man's name. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/esq/#x6)

### Note

It is an abbreviation, not a word you say; written with a capital E and often a full stop: «Esq.». Rule: «Mr John Smith» or «John Smith, Esq.», not both.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «esq» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/E/esq/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«esq» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/esq.html) on Mova free.