BENCHMARK

'Benchmark' may refer to:

★ Benchmark (surveying), a point of reference for a measurement

★ Benchmark (crude oil), a reference for and discussion of cost and/or pricing of petroleum, such as Brent Crude and West Texas Intermediate in terms of benchmarks based on classification differences.

★ Benchmark (computing), the result of running a computer program, or a set of programs, in order to assess the relative performance of an object by running a number of standard tests and trials against it

★ Benchmarking (geolocating), a sport similar to geocaching in which participants individually go out and find benchmarks

★ Benchmarking, the process used in management in which organizations evaluate various aspects of their processes in relation to the best practice, usually within their own sector

★ Benchmark Capital, a venture capital firm behind various startups, such as (and including) eBay.
The term ''benchmark'' originates from the chiseled horizontal marks that surveyors made, into which an angle-iron could be placed to bracket ("bench") a levelling rod, thus ensuring that the levelling rod can be repositioned in exactly the same place in the future.