Benches

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈbɛnt͡ʃɪz/

Definitions

1. A type of seating arrangement that accommodates several individuals, usually designed for outdoor spaces or sports facilities
2. Long seats intended for communal use, often fabricated from durable materials for public settings
3. A piece of furniture designed as a long seat where several people can sit together

Etymology: "Benches" is simply the plural of "bench," so the word's story is the story of "bench" itself. That word goes back to Old English "benċ," which meant a long seat, and it reaches further back to a Proto-Germanic form "bankiz," with cognates across the Germanic languages: German "Bank," Dutch "bank," Swedish "bänk," and Icelandic "bekkur" all mean the same thing. Its deeper ancestry lies in a Proto-Indo-European root that also gave rise to the word for a riverbank or a raised ridge, which fits the idea of a long, low, raised surface. The most surprising connection is that "bench" is a doublet of "bank," the same word split into two forms that came into English by different routes. The sense of a raised surface or ledge is shared by both, which is why a financial "bank," a riverbank, and a park bench all trace back to one Germanic idea. "Banco" and "banc" are also from the same root, and in Romance languages the word passed through Italian merchants' counters before it came to mean a place where money is kept.

Synonyms: seats, stools, boards, tables, workstations