bachelor

[bach-ler, bach-uh-ler]

noun

1. an unmarried man.

2. a person who has been awarded a bachelor's degree.

3. a fur seal, especially a young male, kept from the breeding grounds by the older males.

4. Also called bachelor-at-arms. a young knight who followed the banner of another.

5. Also called household knight. a landless knight.

bachelor

/ ˈbætʃlə, ˈbætʃələ /

noun

1. 1. an unmarried man

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bachelor flat

2. 1. a person who holds the degree of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Science, etc

   2. the degree itself

3. Also called: bachelor-at-arms. (in the Middle Ages) a young knight serving a great noble

4. a young male seal, esp a fur seal, that has not yet mated

Usage

Gender-neutral form: single person

Other Word Forms

• bachelorlike adjective
• bachelorly adjective
• nonbachelor noun
• prebachelor adjective
• bachelorhood noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of bachelor¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English bacheler “squire, young knight,” from Old French; origin uncertain; probably from assumed Vulgar Latin baccalār(is) “tenant farmer, farm hand”; akin to Late Latin baccalāria “piece of land,” originallly plural of assumed baccalārium “dairy farm,” equivalent to assumed baccālis “pertaining to cows” (from bacca, variant of Latin vacca “cow” + -ālis + -ārium); -al ¹, -arium ( def. ) )

Word History and Origins

Origin of bachelor¹

C13: from Old French bacheler youth, squire, from Vulgar Latin baccalāris (unattested) farm worker, of Celtic origin; compare Irish Gaelic bachlach peasant

Example Sentences

At the time, Lincoln had been a licensed attorney for 1½ years; he still shared cramped bachelor lodgings above a general store.

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The H-1B is a U.S. visa for skilled workers, typically those with a bachelor’s degree or higher, and is a common path for students to stay in the U.S.

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O’Neill has no training in medicine or healthcare and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in humanities, according to the Associated Press, and is a former investor who has been a critic of health regulations.

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Under a newly established partnership with Cal State Long Beach to jointly prepare students for a four-year bachelor’s degree in nursing, the total cost would be about $43,000, he said.

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In 1965, she became the eighth person in Cambridge history to earn a doctorate without first having a bachelor’s degree.

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