Word of the Day: Benchmark
Today's word popped up during President Bush's news conference. Its original meaning may be a mystery to you, unless you're a surveyor.
benchmark(bench märk ) 1. A standard by which something can be measured or judged."The benchmarks will make it more likely we win," President Bush said in his news conference. "Withdrawing on an artificial timetable means we lose."Often bench mark: A surveyor's mark made on a stationary object of previously determined position and elevation, and used as a reference point in tidal observations and surveys.