Ussher

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A person employed to escort visitors or guests to their designated seats, typically in a theater, cinema, or other public venue
2. An attendant who guides people to appropriate seating areas and assists them during events or performances
3. Someone hired to conduct audience members to their places and provide assistance in a hall, auditorium, or similar establishment

Etymology: Latin "ostium" meant "door" or "entrance," and it is related to "os," meaning "mouth," since a doorway is an opening much like one. Late Latin "ostiarius" named a doorkeeper, and Old French shortened it to "huissier," a man who guarded the entrance to a hall or chamber. English borrowed the job as "usher," and for centuries it was literal: a servant at the door who decided who could enter and later led guests to their seats or walked ahead of an important person. The spelling "ussher" is an older variant that survives mainly as a surname. The best-known bearer was James Ussher, the Archbishop of Armagh, whose name came from the same doorkeeping office.