usher

/ˈə-shər/

Middle English ussher, from Anglo-French ussier, usscher, from Vulgar Latin *ustiarius doorkeeper, from Latin ostium, ustium door, mouth of a river

noun

  1. an officer or servant who has the care of the door of a court, hall, or chamber

  2. an officer who walks before a person of rank

  3. one who escorts persons to their seats (as in a theater)

verb

  1. to conduct to a place

  2. to precede as an usher, forerunner, or harbinger

  3. to cause to enter : introduce

verb

  1. to serve to bring into being

  2. to mark or observe the beginning of

a discovery that ushered in a period of change

begin commence start initiate inaugurate usher in mean to take the first step in a course, process, or operation. begin, start, and commence are often interchangeable. begin, opposed to end, is the most general. start, opposed to stop, applies especially to first actions, steps, or stages.