bleacher

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   usually plural: a raised structure with rows of simple seats for spectators

   We found seats high in the bleachers behind the outfield.

2. 2
   noun

   a person, machine, or business that bleaches cloth, flour, or another material

   The linen passed from the weaver to the bleacher before it was sold.

From bleach + the agent suffix -er, first naming a person or device that bleaches. The American seating sense arose in the late nineteenth century from uncovered wooden benches whitened by exposure to the sun.

Topics