benching
UK[ˈbentʃɪŋ]US[ˈbentʃɪŋ]
n
The act of removing a player from a game, especially in sports like basketball or hockey, and making them sit on the bench.
n
The act of lifting weights using a bench, especially a bench press.
n
The act of providing or fitting with benches.
Morpheme Breakdown
bench
ing
bench
seat/work surface
ing
noun-forming suffix
Etymology
The word 'benching' is a modern English formation built upon the ancient noun 'bench'. 'Bench' itself traces back to the Proto-Germanic bankiz, meaning a raised surface or ridge, which is also the source for 'bank'. The core concept of a long, raised seat or platform was established in Old English. The addition of the agentive/action suffix '-ing', a productive morpheme in English since its Germanic origins, transforms the noun into a verbal noun (gerund). This creates a term specifically denoting the action associated with a bench. In contemporary usage, this action has specialized in three primary contexts: the removal of an athlete to the sidelines (the bench), the performance of a weightlifting exercise on a bench, and the act of installing benches.
Analysis
Structure: bench (seat/work surface) + ing (noun-forming suffix)
'bench' (from Old English 'benc', meaning a long seat) + 'ing' (a suffix from Old English '-ing', '-ung', used to form nouns from verbs, indicating an action or its result).
Examples
The coach's frequent benching of the star player surprised the fans.
His workout routine includes heavy benching twice a week.
The benching of the public park was completed by the city crew.