Sitter

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈsɪtə/

Definitions

1. A person who occupies a position or location
2. an individual engaged in watching or caring for something or someone
3. a participant in a session where they are the focus of an artistic representation or study

Etymology: The word "sitter" is about as transparent as English gets: it is formed from "sit" with the agent suffix "-er," so it simply means one who sits. Middle English already had "sittere" and related spellings, and the sense of a person hired to sit with children while parents are away came later, as the job itself took shape. The interesting part is how a plain description of posture narrowed into a specific role. Anyone who sits can be called a sitter, from a model posing for a painter to a patient in a barber's chair, and the same logic produced older senses such as a person who sits on a jury or a bird that sits on eggs. A babysitter is someone whose sitting is a service: they are paid to occupy a chair in a house while the adults go out, and the job is defined entirely by that act of staying put.

Synonyms: occupant, attendant, guardian, watcher, caretaker

Antonyms: leaver, departing, absentee, vacator, mover