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Esq.

English translation: courtesy title / honorific

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:Esq.
Selected answer:courtesy title / honorific
Entered by: John Kinory (X)

12:26 Aug 14, 2002
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Law/Patents / divorce
English term or phrase: Esq.
Cuando se mencionan los abogados en una juicio, justo después de cada nombre.

Gracias.

Ma. José
Maria Asis
Spain
Local time: 19:12
courtesy title (not limited to lawyers)
Explanation:
Merriam-Webster entry:

Main Entry: es·quire
Pronunciation: 'es-"kwIr, is-'
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 usually placed in its abbreviated form after the surname <John R. Smith, Esq.>
4 archaic : a landed proprietor
Selected response from:

Yuri Geifman
Canada
Local time: 13:12
Grading comment
Thanks.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +9esquire
Piotr Kurek
5 +8courtesy title (not limited to lawyers)
Yuri Geifman
5 +7Esquire
Clauwolf
5 +3abbreviation for Esquire
LJC (X)
5 +1the title for any gentleman who has no other official "claim to fame"
R.J.Chadwick (X)
4 +1info
KORNELIA ZWIÓR-HOŁENKO
5 -1the first answer is correct in the context given
wrtransco
5 -1a pretentious honorific
John Kinory (X)


Discussion entries: 3





  

Answers


2 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +7
Esquire


Explanation:
it´s a lawyer title

Clauwolf
Local time: 14:12
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in pair: 412

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lydia Molea
3 mins
  -> tks
agree  Rafa Lombardino
13 mins
  -> tks
agree  Claudia Andreani
17 mins
  -> tks
agree  Marian Greenfield
28 mins
  -> tks
agree  Maria-Jose Pastor
43 mins
  -> tks
agree  wrtransco
51 mins
  -> tks
agree  Rufino Pérez De La Sierra
1 hr
  -> tks
agree  MikeGarcia
2 hrs
agree  jerrie
4 hrs
agree  Libero_Lang_Lab
4 hrs
neutral  cmwilliams (X): not only for lawyers - title for any man.
4 hrs
disagree  John Kinory (X): Nothing to do with lawyers: any man can be Esq., even I.
7 hrs
disagree  Ildiko Santana: agree w/ cmw and JK
12 hrs
disagree  Irene Chernenko: Very misleading.
12 hrs
agree  Trudy Peters: Correct in this context
14 hrs
agree  CLS Lexi-tech: "Off with your head, Clauwolf!" I am quoting Alice in Wonderland :-)
14 hrs
disagree  Sue Goldian: Nothing at all to do with lawyers.
2 days 4 hrs
disagree  KORNELIA ZWIÓR-HOŁENKO: not at all
2 days 6 hrs
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7 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
esquire


Explanation:
formal title used after a man's name, esp. in a letter, on an envelope

hth

Piotr Kurek
Local time: 19:12
PRO pts in pair: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Claudia Andreani
13 mins
  -> thank you
neutral  wrtransco: ...man's name...? There are no female lawyers?
46 mins
  -> thank you
agree  MikeGarcia
2 hrs
  -> thank you
agree  cmwilliams (X)
4 hrs
  -> thank you
agree  John Kinory (X): Mag. RaWa - it's got nothing whatsoever to do with lawyers. And I just KNOW that the first answer, which is COMPLETELY wrong, will be chosen.
6 hrs
  -> thank you very much
agree  Ildiko Santana: I agree with you and John K, but I still have some hopes that the asker will actually read the answers as well as the peer comments and not just count who got the most blue words... ;)
12 hrs
  -> thank you
agree  CLS Lexi-tech: I would hope that those who want to split hair could read the asker's request. Cheer up, people, This is not Star Wars!
14 hrs
  -> thank you
agree  Sue Goldian: Mag. RaWa - It has nothing to do with lawyers.
2 days 4 hrs
  -> thank you very much
agree  KORNELIA ZWIÓR-HOŁENKO: absolutely
2 days 6 hrs
  -> thank you very much
agree  Herman Vilella: Man's??? Lawyeresses can also sign "Esq".
2 days 20 hrs
  -> thank you
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23 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +8
courtesy title (not limited to lawyers)


Explanation:
Merriam-Webster entry:

Main Entry: es·quire
Pronunciation: 'es-"kwIr, is-'
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 usually placed in its abbreviated form after the surname <John R. Smith, Esq.>
4 archaic : a landed proprietor

Yuri Geifman
Canada
Local time: 13:12
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 32
Grading comment
Thanks.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  wrtransco: this may be true, BUT you have to look at the context. Ma. José talks about lawyers
32 mins
  -> no doubt... unfortunately, I don't know Spanish :-)
agree  MikeGarcia
2 hrs
agree  Antonio Camangi: Agrre. It's not specifically referred to the lawyers.
2 hrs
agree  cmwilliams (X)
4 hrs
agree  John Kinory (X): Nothing to do with lawyers. But I bet the first answer, albeit completely wrong and not by a native English speaker, will be chosen.
6 hrs
  -> Thanks :-) I try to have a philosophical outlook on things
agree  Ildiko Santana
11 hrs
agree  Irene Chernenko: Especially important to note that its use is not general.
12 hrs
agree  CLS Lexi-tech: of course not limited to lawyer, but the asker is asking what it means when it follows a lawyer's name.
14 hrs
agree  Sue Goldian
2 days 3 hrs
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
the first answer is correct in the context given


Explanation:
Black's Law Dictionary
Esquire
In the US, title commonly appended after name of attorney.


esquire
n. a form of address showing that someone is an attorney, usually written Albert Pettifog, Esquire, or simply Esq. Originally in England an Esquire was a rank just above "gentleman" and below "knight." It became a title for barristers, sheriffs and judges.

http://dictionary.law.com/definition2.asp?selected=660&bold=||||

The link below corroborates that women use it too.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-08-15 01:36:47 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

JUST NOTICED THAT MOST OF YOU ANSWERERS AND DISAGREERS ACTUALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE QUESTION IS. YES, IT SAYS ESQ. IN THE HEADING, BUT THEN MA. JOSE WROTE:

WHEN THE ATTORNEYS ARE MENTIONED/LISTED IN A TRIAL, RIGHT AFTER EACH NAME.

Now, you\'ll be the \"judge\".

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-08-16 16:12:07 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Need more? Well, here

Original Complaint in Novell v. Microsoft.
U.S. District Court, District of Utah.
October 1, 2001.

13. By letter dated April 6, 2001, a Senior Attorney for Microsoft, Diane D’Arcangelo advised Novell that \"in the spirit of attempting to alleviate any concerns that Novell has, [the author] intends to publish a clarification today that Novell is not leaving or transitioning from the software business in favor of consulting.\" (Ex. C, Letter dated April 6, 2001 from Diane D’Arcangelo, Esq. to Ryan Richards, Esq.)

http://www.techlawjournal.com/courts2001/novell_msft/2001100...

Pleas note Diane D’Arcangelo, Esq.!


    Reference: http://www.rpa.state.nj.us/email.htm
wrtransco
Local time: 13:12
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Ildiko Santana: The first answer is justified just as much as it is justified to give a context in Spanish for an English monolingual question...
3 hrs
  -> I am not sure, what you are refering too... I am defending the first answer.
neutral  Yuri Geifman: actually, you clinched it yourself: female lawyers are not addressed as "esquire", at least not in this reality
3 hrs
  -> you should have bothered to check the link http://www.rpa.state.nj.us/email.htm -- and there are many more.
disagree  Irene Chernenko: It is not a lawyer's TITLE, which can be Mr or "The Hon" or Ms. It is, as you say, commonly appended after the name. That does not signify a title, the same as "Jr" after a name is not a title.
3 hrs
  -> Well, if you just "know better" than the Black's Law Dictionary -- I cannot really add anything.
agree  CLS Lexi-tech: "either you or your head must be off, and that in about half no time! Take your choice!"
5 hrs
disagree  John Kinory (X): 1. Black is fallible. 2. A woman can't be Esq. 3. This is English (monolingual). 4. Nothing to do with lawyers (see below)
1 day 13 hrs
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9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +3
abbreviation for Esquire


Explanation:
My New Oxford Dictionary of English says:

1. Brit. a polite title appended to a man\'s name when no other title is used, typically in the address of a letter or other documents.

N. Amer. a title appended to a lawyer\'s surname.

2. historical. a young nobleman who, in training for knighthood, acted as an attendant to a knight.

an officer in the service of a king or nobleman

(as title)a landed proprietor of country squire.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-08-15 07:24:36 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

In view of the fact that some of us don\'t understand the question, maybe it would be more helpful if some kind person could translate it for us.
And as the question was written in Spanish, perhaps the asker doesn\'t understand our answers either!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-08-15 07:27:00 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry, Maria, I\'ve just looked up your profile and realise that you will understand the answers after all. I should have done that first.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-08-15 07:32:25 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Sorry Mag. I see you\'ve already translated it. I think I\'m going back to bed!

LJC (X)
France
Local time: 19:12
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in pair: 32

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Ildiko Santana
3 hrs
  -> Thanks.
neutral  wrtransco: you may have been one of those who did not understand the actual question
5 hrs
  -> You're right. I don't speak or understand Spanish but I thought I'd try and help anyway.
agree  John Kinory (X): Apart from RaWa's rudeness (shouting in caps., 'You didn't understand the question'), to say that it became a title for judges (by implication, in England!) is nonsense.
1 day 13 hrs
  -> Thanks, John. This seems to be one of those differences between American English and British English usage. I think it's a bit outdated nowadays too.
agree  Sue Crocker
1 day 14 hrs
  -> Thanks
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12 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
the title for any gentleman who has no other official "claim to fame"


Explanation:
This is usually only used in addressing letters and a few other contexts where someone's name has to be written down. If it is used in a legal context I am not surprised and this may be the last place where it is used nowadays.

It is intended to show respect to a man who has no hereditary title or other title that would justify "letters after (his) name" (as the expression goes). Thus it is (or was) the default honorific for men. Where someone else might be known as Joe Blow (Bart.) i.e. "baronet", or another might be known as Joe Blow M.A. (Master of Arts) someone who had no other official "claim to fame" would be referred to as Joe Blow Esq. (Esquire).

Actually on the streets of London it is still very current as a respectful form of address. London taxi drivers will regularly address male clients as "squire". This is something to be grateful for because standard English in the present era has been almost completely stripped of colloquial and current ways of expressing respect in day to day interactions.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2002-08-15 04:11:49 (GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

From a review (by Caroline Cracroft) of \"Titles and Forms of Address: A Guide to Correct Use.\" A&C Black, 1997. xxxi + 191 pages. Paperback, $17:-

( . . . )

In the 1940s, boys at English public schools were still constantly reminded by their middle class school masters not to give their athletic coaches (the \"professionals\" on staff) the prefix \"Mr.\" They were to be addressed and referred to simply by their surname, such as Barker, just as one would address servants. Thus did the schoolmaster, wrapping himself in the gentility conferred by a BA, cling to his precarious perch on the lowest rung of the social hierarchy. Doubtless the same schoolmasters would have been punctilious in their use of \"Esq.,\" a title used indiscriminately after World War II in order not to cause offence, but which became so common as a result that it slowly but surely began replacing \"Mr\" all round. It lingers on in the USA among lawyers, even lady lawyers.

( . . . )

http://www.jasna.org/bookrev/br151p17.html

R.J.Chadwick (X)
Local time: 01:12
PRO pts in pair: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  wrtransco: you may have been one of those who did not understand the actual question
2 hrs
  -> What is the question? This whole page is turning into a mess.
agree  John Kinory (X): Apart from RaWa's rudeness (shouting in caps., 'You didn't understand the question'), to say that it is a title for judges (by implication, in England!) is nonsense.
1 day 9 hrs
  -> I 'm afraid I don't understand your comment. I did not imply anything like that. I said that it was the default title for anyone who did not have any other title and that does not include judges. So I clearly implied that it is not a title for judges.
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1 day 22 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): -1
a pretentious honorific


Explanation:
I have now consulted Americans who have reason to resort to lawyers all the time in corporate life. I am assured that Esq can be and is used by any American, provided only that he is pretentious enough (I can't remember the AE colloquialism used: it may have been 'smart-ass pretentious', or an even stronger term; at any rate, that was the gist of it).

In other words, it's got nothing to do with the person being a lawyer. But many lawyers try to impress non-lawyers and intimidate them, pretending (!) they are cleverer, more important and infallible. Therefore the borrowed practice (from England) of appending the honorific (NOT title!) 'Esq.' to a man's (!) name has spread among American lawyers.

Even in England it is now considered very old-fashioned and pompous, but some people still use it, mainly on envelopes. Thus, some bank managers etc still write to me as 'John Kinory, Esq.', followed by my address.

John Kinory (X)
Local time: 18:12
PRO pts in pair: 48

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  wrtransco: I work with lawyers on a regular basis and you still don't seem to (want to) understand the question
5 hrs
  -> I understand it perfectly, thanks all the same. Your rudeness is no substitute for rational thinking. Esq. following a name is a pretentious honorifics, as confirmed by many many of my American colleagues.
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2 days 8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
info


Explanation:
So much ado about... a three-letter word. One may think all of you here are right.

Here is what 5 dctries say:
1. Cambridge Int'l Dctry of English:
"Esq. [after n], esp. Br dated or fml abbreviation for ESQUIRE (=a title added after a man's name on documents, envelopes, etc. instead of putting "Mr" before it): This envelope is addressed to P.J.Ellis Esq * (Am) Esq, is usually used only after the full name of a man or woman who is a lawyer: Address it to my lawyer, Steven A. Neil, Esq./ Gloria Neil, Esq."

2.Webster
"a general title of respect in addressing letters"

3. BBC English Dctry:
"Esq. is sometimes written after a man's name if he has no other title: James Dickson, Esq.

Esquire is a formal title that can be used after a man's name if he has no other title, especially on an envelope that is addressed to him"

4. Collins Cobuild English Dctry:
"Esq. is used after men's names as a written abbreviation for <esquire>"

Esquire - [same definition as in BBC EngDctry above]

5. Longman Dctry of Contemporary English:
"Esq, also Esquire - rare - n, esp. BrE (used as a title of politeness, usu. written after the full name of a man): The envelope is addressed to Peter Jones, Esq."

For those of you who also speak Polish, here is what is said in http://oup.pwn.pl , my favourite English-Polish dctry of which I'm one of the authors:

6. PWN-Oxford:
"John Roberts, Esq = WP John Roberts" ("WP" = "Wielmo¿ny Pan" which in Polish is just a form of address, used mainly on envelopes to express politeness/respect)

The net result is that "J. Smith, Esq" in BrEng means the same as "Mr J. Smith" (never Mrs J. Smith !) while in AmEng it does the same plus may indicate the person addressed - whether man or woman - is a lawyer to whom one wants to be polite when addressing a letter (in such context, the address "mecenas" is used in Polish). Please note that the latter meaning is provided only by 1 in 5 monolingual sources quoted.


KORNELIA ZWIÓR-HOŁENKO
Local time: 19:12
Native speaker of: Polish
PRO pts in pair: 6

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  John Kinory (X): I'e just spoken to 3 colleagues (from Boston, Chicago and California, respectively). They all agree that it is used by lawyers, accountants and -anybody else in the USA- who wants to create an impression of erudition; usually ending up looking ridiculous
2 hrs
agree  R.J.Chadwick (X): Thank you for providing that clear and nicely set out information. There should be more of it.
5 hrs
  -> agree ;-)) (and thank you)
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