also: ばっせき
lowest seat; foot of the table; seat furthest from the seat of honor
Refers to the least prestigious seat in a formal seating arrangement, typically farthest from the guest of honor or head of the table.
The new employee sat at the lowest seat in the meeting.
At a banquet, it is polite to sit at the foot of the table.
lowest rank; bottom (e.g. of the class)
Metaphorical extension: the lowest position in a hierarchy, such as in a company, class ranking, or any ordered group.
He is content with being at the bottom of the class.
That department holds the lowest rank in the company.
Standard kanji spelling. The reading まっせき is the most common.
Alternate reading ばっせき is less common and may be considered non-standard or dialectal.
Compound of 末 (matsu, 'end') + 席 (seki, 'seat'). The reading まっせき is a result of gemination (促音便) of the first character's reading.