Benching
/ˈbɛn.tʃɪŋ/noun
The act of keeping someone as a backup romantic option or delaying commitment.
Did you know?The dating slang is built from the sports image of a substitute sitting on the bench, but the root word goes back to Old English *benc*, meaning a long seat or bench.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*bankiz
“a bench or long seat”
Old English
OE
benc
“a bench, seat, or long wooden form”
Middle English
ME
benche
“a bench or seat; also a judge’s bench”
19th Century
English
bench
“to place a player on the bench as a substitute”
21st Century
English
benching
“keeping someone as a romantic backup option; delaying commitment”