Meanings
nounpew-opener (plural pew-openers)
plural pew-openers
- UKAn usher in a church.
Her entrance into church on Sunday is always the signal for a little bustle in the side aisle, occasioned by a general rise among the poor people, who bow and curtsey until the pew-opener has ushered the old lady into her accustomed seat.
1836, “Boz” [pseudonym; Charles Dickens], Sketches by “Boz,” Illustrative of Every-day Life, and Every-day People. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: John Macrone, […], →OCLC, chapter II
Cite this entry
APA
pew-opener. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pew-opener
MLA
“pew-opener.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pew-opener. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pew-opener,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pew-opener.
Source: pew-opener on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.