benchmark

Noun

1. A standard by which something is evaluated or measured.
2. A surveyor's mark made on some stationary object and shown on a map; used as a reference point.
3. A computer program that is executed to assess the performance of the runtime environment.

Verb

1. (intransitive, transitive) To measure the performance or quality of (an item) relative to another similar item in an impartial scientific manner.
2. (ambitransitive, transitive) To measure the performance or quality of (an item) relative to another similar item in an impartial scientific manner.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈbɛn(t)ʃmɑːk/

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

bench mark

criterion

measure

standard

point of reference

reference

reference mark

reference point

touchstone

yardstick

performance benchmark

reference level

baseline

benchmarking

gold standard

Sentences

To measure the performance accurately we need a benchmark .