bencher

American  

[ben-cher] / ˈbɛn tʃər /

noun

1. (in England)

   1. a senior member of an Inn of Court.

   2. a member of the House of Commons.

2. a person who handles an oar; rower.

---

bencher British  

/ ˈbɛntʃə /

noun

1. a member of the governing body of one of the Inns of Court, usually a judge or a Queen's Counsel

2. See backbencher

---

Etymology

Origin of bencher

First recorded in 1525–35; bench + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Those beliefs are "hard to pin down to one faction or tribe", a fellow front bencher says.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2024

It is difficult to overstate the shift in Mr. Johnson’s fortunes from a year ago, when he was briefly a back bencher.

From New York Times • Dec. 12, 2019

Over the next 32 years, he rose from state delegate to state senator, from back bencher to committee chairman to majority floor leader.

From Washington Post • Mar. 15, 2019

Meadows, serving in just his third term, served as a genial GOP back bencher for his first few years in the House.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 5, 2017

He joined the home circuit, became Q.C. in 1880, and a bencher of Lincoln’s Inn in 1882.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 4 "Cincinnatus" to "Cleruchy" by Various