benchmark

A standard by which something is evaluated or measured.

Noun

  1. A standard by which something is evaluated or measured.
    • Near-synonym: criterion
    • Is the pope Catholic? Forgive the posing of a question that is usually rhetorical, the absolute benchmark of certainty, and traditionally regarded as even more settled than the one pertaining to the lavatorial...
    • In a press release, CARB expanded on their decision. "The LCFS reduces air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions by setting a declining carbon intensity target for transportation fuels used in California; producers...

    Synonyms: criterion

  2. A surveyor's mark made on some stationary object and shown on a map; used as a reference point.
    • Near-synonym: datum

    Synonyms: datum

  3. A computer program that is executed to assess the performance of the runtime environment.

Origin

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.

Forms

benchmarks bench mark

Derived

non-benchmark

Verb

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

    1. (intransitive, followed by at) To give certain results in a benchmark test.

    2. (ambitransitive, followed by against) To use something (e.g., a competitor's product) as a standard to improve one's own thing.

Forms

benchmarks benchmarking benchmarked bench mark

Synonyms

kitemark yardstick

Derived

benchmarkable benchmarker benchmarketing canned benchmark microbenchmark rebenchmark unbenchmarked