The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Escort \Es*cort"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Escorted; p. pr. & vb.
   n. Escorting.] [Cf. F. escorter, It. scortare. See
   Escort, n.]
   To attend with a view to guard and protect; to accompany as
   safeguard; to give honorable or ceremonious attendance to; --
   used esp. with reference to journeys or excursions on land;
   as, to escort a public functionary, or a lady; to escort a
   baggage wagon.

   Syn: To accompany; attend. See Accompany.
        [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Escort \Es"cort\, n. [F. escorte, It. scorta a guard or guide,
   fr. scorgere to perceive, discern, lead, fr. L. ex out, quite
   + corrigere to correct, set right. See Correct.]
   1. A body of armed men to attend a person of distinction for
      the sake of affording safety when on a journey; one who
      conducts some one as an attendant; a guard, as of
      prisoners on a march; also, a body of persons, attending
      as a mark of respect or honor; -- applied to movements on
      land, as convoy is to movements at sea.
      [1913 Webster]

            The troops of my escort marched at the ordinary
            rate.                                 --Burke.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Protection, care, or safeguard on a journey or excursion;
      as, to travel under the escort of a friend.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

escort
    n 1: someone who escorts and protects a prominent person [syn:
         bodyguard, escort]
    2: the act of accompanying someone or something in order to
       protect them [syn: escort, accompaniment]
    3: an attendant who is employed to accompany someone
    4: a participant in a date; "his date never stopped talking"
       [syn: date, escort]
    v 1: accompany as an escort; "She asked her older brother to
         escort her to the ball"
    2: accompany or escort; "I'll see you to the door" [syn: see,
       escort]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

57 Moby Thesaurus words for "escort":
   accompany, attend, attendant, bear, beau, bodyguard, boyfriend,
   bring, carry, cavalier, chaperon, cicerone, companion, company,
   conduct, conductor, consort with, convoy, cortege, date, direct,
   duenna, entourage, esquire, fellow, fellow traveler, gallant,
   gentleman-at-arms, guard, guardian, guards, guardsman, guide, lead,
   leader, marshal, pilot, praetorian guard, protect, protection,
   protector, retinue, route, safe-conduct, safeguard, see, shepherd,
   show, squire, steer, swain, take out, usher, vis-a-vis, wait on,
   watch over, yeoman