benchmark

English Thesaurus

1. a surveyor's mark on a permanent object of predetermined position and elevation used as a reference point (noun.communication)

hypernym	:	point of reference, reference, reference point,
definition	:	an indicator that orients you generally (noun.communication)

2. a standard by which something can be measured or judged (noun.communication)

hypernym	:	criterion, measure, standard, touchstone,
definition	:	a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated (noun.communication)