Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
BENCH
I. noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English benc; akin to Old High German bank bench Date: before 12th century
1. a long seat for two or more persons, a thwart in a boat, c. a seat on which the members of an athletic team await a turn or opportunity to play, the reserve players on a team,
2. the seat where a judge sits in court, the place where justice is administered ; court , the office or dignity of a judge , the persons who sit as judges,
3. the office or dignity of an official, a seat for an official, the officials occupying a bench,
4. a long worktable, a table forming part of a machine, terrace , shelf : as, a former wave-cut shore of a sea or lake or floodplain of a river, a shelf or ridge formed in working an open excavation on more than one level, a compartmented platform on which dogs or cats are kept at a show when not being judged,
II. verb
Date: 14th century
transitive verb to furnish with benches,
2. to seat on a bench, b. to remove from or keep out of a game, to remove from the starting lineup, to exhibit (dogs or cats) to the public on a bench, to lift (a weight) in a bench press , intransitive verb to form a bench by natural processes