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

“What are you doing there? You have your own hovel now. I thought it was supposed to be your so-called bachelor pad.”

Read more on Literature

“I have been teaching math for the past eight years and am an honors graduate of the West Virginia State College, with bachelor’s degrees with high honors in mathematics and French.”

Read more on Literature

Yet recent bachelor’s recipients in their 20s were 5.6 percentage points less likely to be employed than those who finished vocational programs.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Koppell, the president, holds a bachelor’s degree in government and a master’s and doctorate in political science.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

On the whole, though, people with bachelor’s degrees earn considerably more than those without.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal