Bancs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Numerous seats connected in a row for people to sit on ; groups of individuals united into a single body for legal or organizational purposes ; public listings or registers maintained for official use
2. Long rows of connected seating found in public or private areas ; collective bodies or panels operating in judicial or administrative functions ; official compilations or records kept for administrative reference
3. Extended benches designed to accommodate multiple people simultaneously ; assemblies or groups organized for decision-making in courts or organizations ; systematically organized documents or databases used for governance or administration

Etymology: The word is the plural of "banc", a respelling of "bank" that was used in the sense of a long wooden seat. It came into English from Old French "banc" and reached Middle English as "bank" before the spelling was altered, so this form is an older variant rather than a separate word. The sense of a bench is the key link. "Banc" and "bench" are doublets, meaning two forms descended from the same Germanic source that entered English by different routes. The same root also gave us "banco" in Italian and "bank" in English, which took on the later meaning of a money-changer's counter and then a financial institution. Because "bancs" is only the plural, it follows the ordinary rule of adding an "s" to the noun, and its history is that of "banc" itself.

Synonyms: bank