benchmark

noun

1. a standard by which something can be measured or judged

- his painting sets the benchmark of quality

Definition categories: communication, criterion, measure, standard, touchstone

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

Definition categories: communication, reference

verb

1. (transitive) To measure the performance of (an item) relative to another similar item in an impartial scientific manner.