Added 9 October 2026
benchmark
/ˈbɛnt͡ʃmɑːk/ noun
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about benchmark at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- A standard by which something is evaluated or measured.
- A surveyor's mark made on some stationary object and shown on a map; used as a reference point.
- A computer program that is executed to assess the performance of the runtime environment.
verb
- To measure the performance or quality of (an item) relative to another similar item in an impartial scientific manner. To give certain results in a benchmark test. To use something (e.g., a competitor's product) as a standard to improve one's own thing.
- To give certain results in a benchmark test.
- To use something (e.g., a competitor's product) as a standard to improve one's own thing.
Origin
From bench + mark. First use appears c. 1842. Originally a mark cut into a stone by land surveyors to secure a bench (from land surveying jargon in the 19th century, meaning a type of bracket), to mount measuring equipment. The figurative sense first appears c. 1884.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)