Benchpress

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A strength exercise performed while lying on a flat bench and pushing a loaded barbell upward from the chest ; a padded bench fitted with a rack used to support that lifting movement
2. A weight training move in which a person lies face up and presses a heavy bar away from the chest ; a flat padded seat with uprights and a rack built for performing that lift
3. Lying supine and driving a weighted bar up from the torso to build chest and arm strength ; the sturdy bench with supports on which such presses are carried out

Etymology: "Benchpress" is a compound of "bench" and "press," and the pairing describes the exercise exactly: the lifter lies on a bench and pushes a barbell upward from the chest. "Bench" traces back to Old English "benc," a long seat, while "press" comes from Old French "presser," to squeeze or push down on something, which in turn descends from Latin "pressare," a frequentative of "premere," to press. The spelling "benchpress" is an alternative to the two-word form "bench press," and both are used for the noun and the verb. The word is a plain descriptive compound, so its history lies in the two parts combining to name a single piece of gym equipment and the movement performed on it.