Banc

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /bæŋk/

Definitions

1. A raised platform where judges, officials, or authorities sit during legal or formal proceedings ; a long bench used for seating in public spaces or rooms
2. An elevated desk-like area occupied by judges or magistrates during court sessions ; a type of extended seating furniture designed to accommodate multiple people
3. The official seat for judicial or authoritative figures where proceedings are conducted ; a piece of furniture providing a place for several individuals to sit together

Etymology: The Old French "banc" is the source of both the English "bench" and the modern "bank" of money-changers, and "banc" itself came into English as a deliberate respelling of "bank." Its meaning is the raised seat occupied by judges, and that narrow sense is what made the spelling stick in legal use. The word arrived through Middle English "bank," which was borrowed from Old French "banc," meaning a bench or seat. That same French ancestor gave English a doublet pair, "bench" and "bank" in its original sense of a long seat, and also reached English as "banco" through Italian, where it became the word for a moneychanger's table. Over time the spelling "banc" was revived in English legal writing, distinguishing the judicial seat from the financial institution, so the court sense kept the older French form visible on the page.

Synonyms: bank, financial institution