n.
Pronunciation: ' bench
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English benc; akin to Old High German bank bench
Date: before 12th century
1 a : a long seat for two or more persons b : a thwart in a boat c (1) : a seat on which the members of an athletic team await a turn or opportunity to play (2) : the reserve players on a team broadly : a reserve force
2 a : the seat where a judge sits in court b : the place where justice is administered : COURT c : the office or dignity of a judge <sat on the bench for 20 years> d : the persons who sit as judges
3 a : the office or dignity of an official b : a seat for an official c : the officials occupying a bench
4 a : a long worktable also : LABORATORY < bench chemist> < bench test> b : a table forming part of a machine
5 : TERRACE , SHELF : as a : a former wave-cut shore of a sea or lake or floodplain of a river b : a shelf or ridge formed in working an open excavation on more than one level
6 : a compartmented platform on which dogs or cats are kept at a show when not being judged