Word: bench Part of Speech: noun Etymology: From Middle English bench, benk, bynk, from Old English benċ (“bench”), from Proto-West Germanic *banki, from Proto-Germanic *bankiz (“bench”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg-. Cognate with Scots benk, bink (“bench”), West Frisian bank (“bench”), Dutch bank (“bench”), German Bank (“bench”), Danish bænk (“bench”), Swedish bänk (“bench”), Icelandic bekkur (“bench”). Doublet of banc, banco, and bank. Pronunciation: /ˈbɛnt͡ʃ/, [ˈbɛnt͡ʃ], /ˈbent͡ʃ/, [ˈbent͡ʃ], /ˈbɪnt͡ʃ/ 1. A long seat with or without a back, found for example in parks and schools. Example: They sat on a park bench and tossed bread crumbs to the ducks and pigeons. Example: Scarborough station's famous 139-metre-long bench, believed to be the longest in the world, has been restored in a £14,500 project. 2. The seat where the judges sit in court. Labels: figuratively Example: They are awaiting a decision on the motion from the bench. 3. The seat where the judges sit in court. Labels: figuratively Example: She sat on the bench for 30 years before she retired. 4. A seat where people sit together in an official capacity. Example: the government front bench Example: On the opposition benches at Holyrood, Scottish Labour's transport spokesman Neil Bibby favours a more formal approach of involving passenger and worker representatives in the management of ScotRail. 5. A seat where people sit together in an official capacity. Labels: figuratively Example: the bench of bishops Example: the civic bench 6. A seat where people sit together in an official capacity. Labels: figuratively Example: Mr. Zuckerberg’s repositioning of Meta started in earnest last year, when he began rearranging his bench of lieutenants. 7. The place where players (substitutes) and coaches sit when not playing. Example: He spent the first three games on the bench, watching. Example: But Chelsea, who left Didier Drogba on the bench as coach Carlo Ancelotti favoured Fernando Torres, staged a stirring fightback to move up to fourth and keep United in their sights on a night when nothing other than victory would have kept the Blues in contention. 8. The place where players (substitutes) and coaches sit when not playing. Labels: figuratively Example: Injuries have shortened the bench. 9. A place where assembly or hand work is performed; a workbench. Example: She placed the workpiece on the bench, inspected it closely, and opened the cover. 10. A horizontal padded surface, usually adjustable in height and inclination and often with attached weight rack, used for proper posture during exercise. Example: 2008, Lou Schuler, "Foreward", in Nate Green, Built for Show, page xii I had no bench or power rack, so by necessity every exercise I did started with the weights on the floor. 11. A bracket used to mount land surveying equipment onto a stone or a wall. Example: After removing the bench, we can use the mark left on the wall as a reference point. 12. A flat ledge in the slope of an earthwork, work of masonry, or similar. Example: That number carried his glance to the top of this first bulging bench of cliff-base. 13. A thin strip of relatively flat land bounded by steeper slopes above and below. 14. A kitchen surface on which to prepare food, a counter. Labels: Australia, New-Zealand 15. A bathroom surface which holds the washbasin, a vanity. Labels: Australia, New-Zealand 16. A collection or group of dogs exhibited to the public, traditionally on benches or raised platforms.