Definition of bench
Pronunciation
- (UK, US) IPA: /bɛntʃ/, SAMPA: /bEntS/
- Audio (US) [?]
- Rhymes: -ɛntʃ
Etymology 1
Noun
bench (plural benches)
- A long seat, for example, in the park.
They sat on a park bench and tossed bread crumbs to the ducks and pigeons.
- (law) The people who decide on the verdict; the judiciary.
They are awaiting a decision on the motion from the bench.
- (law, figuratively) The place where the judges sit.
She sat on the bench for 30 years before she retired.
- (sports) The place where players sit when not playing.
He spent the first three games on the bench, watching.
- A place where assembly or hand work is performed; a workbench.
She placed the workpiece on the bench, inspected it closely, and opened the cover.
- (weightlifting) A horizontal padded surface, usually with a weight rack, used for support during exercise.
Derived terms
terms derived from bench (noun)
Verb
to bench (third-person singular simple present benches, present participle benching, simple past and past participle benched)
- (transitive, sports) To sideline; to remove a player from play.
They benched him for the rest of the game because they thought he was injured.
- (transitive, figuratively) To remove someone from a position of responsibility temporarily.
- (slang) To push the victim back on the person behind them who is on their hands and knees and end up falling over.
Etymology 2
From bench press by shortening.
Verb
to bench (third-person singular simple present benches, present participle benching, simple past and past participle benched)
- (transitive, weightlifting) To lift by bench pressing
I heard he can bench 150 pounds.
* 1988, Frederick C. Hatfield, "Powersource: Ties that bind", Ironman 47 (6): 21.
For the first several years of my exclusive career in powerlifting, I couldn't bench too well.
Noun
bench (plural benches)
- (weightlifting) The weight one is able to bench press, especially the maximum weight capable of being pressed.
He became frustrated when his bench increased by only 10 pounds despite a month of training.
Etymology 3
Verb
to bench (third-person singular simple present benches, present participle benching, simple past and past participle benched)
- Alternative spelling of bentsh.
Further reading
Bench in legal contexts means simply the location in a courtroom where a judge sits. The historical roots of that meaning come from the fact that judges formerly sat on long seats or benches (freestanding or against a wall) when presiding over a court. [1] In modern courtrooms, the bench is usually an elevated desk area that allows a judge to view the entire courtroom.
But the word also has a broader meaning in the law - the term "bench" is a metonymy used to describe members of the judiciary collectively, or the judges of a particular court, such as the Queen's Bench or the Common Bench in Great Britain, or the federal bench in the United States.[1] The term is also used when all the judges of a certain court sit together to decide a case, as in the phrase "before the full bench" (also called "en banc").[2] Additionally, the term is used to differentiate judges ("the bench") from attorneys or barristers ("the bar"). The phrase "bench and bar" denotes all judges and lawyers collectively.[1]
References
- a b c Walker, David (1980), Oxford Companion to Law, Oxford University Press, p. 123, ISBN 019866110X, http://books.google.com/books?id=4GgYAAAAIAAJ&pgis=1
- Black, Henry Campbell (1990). Black's Law Dictionary, 6th ed.. St. Paul, MN.: West Publishing. pp. p. 155. ISBN 031476271x.
References:
- Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
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