I. ˈeˌskȯr]t, -ȯ(ə)], usu ]d.+V noun
( -s )
Etymology: French escorte, from Middle French escorte, scorte, from Old Italian scorta, literally, act of escorting, from scorgere to perceive, escort, guide, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin excorrigere to guide, observe, from Latin ex- + corrigere to correct, make straight — more at correct
1.
a. : a body of armed men to guard a person or goods on a journey or to accompany as a mark of respect or honor
b. : a protective screen of warships or fighter planes or a single ship or plane attending upon one or more vulnerable craft for fending off enemy attack ; especially : a group of antisubmarine warships accompanying a convoy of merchant ships as protection
c. : protection by an escort
under heavy escort the big ship made the dangerous trip through the Atlantic and Caribbean to the Panama canal — H.L.Merillat
2.
a. : a body of persons or an individual accompanying another or others as protection or as a mark of honor or courtesy
felt it wise to send an escort with the group through the more disreputable parts of the city
included in the Corps of Queen's Messengers is a limited number of escorts whose duty it is to accompany and assist the queen's messengers on certain types of journey — British Information Services
I shall give you as many men for an escort as you think necessary, or you may go entirely alone — Carleton Beals
b. : the boy or man who goes on a date with a girl or woman
there were many more men in the community than women, and every girl had a choice of escorts — David Fairchild
the older woman left her escort sitting at the bar
c. : a man who makes a business of serving as a companion or date for women (as at a restaurant or in attendance at dances or the theater)
3. : the fact of escorting : accompaniment as an escort
he left us, declining our offered escort — Sheridan Le Fanu
flying close escort for the transports — R.L.Scott
4. : guide
provide the man with an escort through the intricate ways of the city
especially : one who guides visitors to their destination in an industrial establishment
II. ə̇ˈsk-, (ˈ)e|sk-\ transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
1. : to accompany as an escort
using it as a base, fighters can escort all kinds of bombers to and from Japan — Newsweek
each spring they lovingly crate dozens of their finest blooms and escort them by overnight express to the Royal Horticultural Society's Rhododendron Show in London — D.S.Boyer
the sacred relic is escorted by the saffron-robed priests around the town — Rex Moorfoot
the great liner and escorting tugs — This Week Magazine
2.
a. : conduct
rescued the men and escorted them to a place of safety
escorting that charming young woman across the terrace — Robert Grant †1940
escorted them to their box with a sort of pompous humility — Oscar Wilde
: guide
the tours combine the freedom of traveling by private automobile with the advantages of an escorted tour in such tedious matters as baggage and reservations — Ford Times
b. : to take or lead forcibly
was escorted to headquarters, and almost immediately identified as one of the escaped convicts — Springfield (Massachusetts) Union
two guards assigned to escort a sailor to the brig