a Roman officer, who assigned and marked out to each person his place and rank in public ceremonies, shows, processions, and the like. The word is formed from the verb designare, to point out or designate.

The designator was a kind of marshal or master of the ceremonies, who regulated the seats, march, order, and the like. There were designators at funeral solemnities, and at the games, theatre, and shows, who not only assigned to every one his place, but also led him to it, as appears from the prologue to the Pandus of Plautus. The agonothetae of the Greeks were officers of the same description.