Escorter

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. One who accompanies or guides another person for protection, guidance, or companionship; a person who attends or chaperones someone in social or formal situations; an individual assigned to accompany a person or group to ensure safety or propriety
2. Someone who provides protective or social accompaniment to another individual; a companion responsible for guiding or attending someone during travel or events; a person designated to oversee the safe passage or presence of another
3. A person who acts as a companion or chaperone by escorting another for security, social, or official reasons; one who accompanies someone to provide guidance, protection, or company; an attendant who ensures proper conduct or safety during travel or public appearances

Etymology: The root of this word is a guide, not a companion. Its ancestor is the Italian "scorta", meaning a guide or convoy, from the verb "scorgere", to show the way. That verb is generally traced back to Latin "excorrigere", "to set right", so the idea of putting something in order gradually narrowed to leading someone along a route, and then to going along with them for protection or company. French took the word as "escorte", and English adopted it from there. "Escorter" adds the English agent suffix "-er" to the verb "escort". The suffix is ordinary and productive, the same one found in "driver" or "teacher", so the word is a transparent formation rather than a separate borrowing. It names the person doing the escorting, whether a guard on a journey or a companion at a formal event.

Synonyms: guardian, chaperone, bodyguard, attendant, convoy

Antonyms: attacker, intruder