Meaning

noun a standard by which something can be measured or judged

noun a surveyor's mark on a permanent object of predetermined position and elevation used as a reference point

originFrom 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.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0