bachelor
[ bach-ler, bach-uh-ler ]
/ ˈbætʃ lər, ˈbætʃ ə lər /
noun
an unmarried man.
a person who has been awarded a bachelor's degree.
a fur seal, especially a young male, kept from the breeding grounds by the older males.
Also called bach·e·lor-at-arms [bach-ler-uht-ahrmz] /ˈbætʃ lər ətˈɑrmz/ . a young knight who followed the banner of another.
Also called house·hold knight. a landless knight.
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Origin of bachelor
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); see origin at -al1,-arium)
OTHER WORDS FROM bachelor
bach·e·lor·like, adjectivebach·e·lor·ly, adjectivenon·bach·e·lor, nounpre·bach·e·lor, adjective, nounWords nearby bachelor
baccy, bach, bacha, Bacharach, bachata, bachelor, bachelor apartment, bachelor chest, bachelorette, bachelorette party, bachelor girl
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for bachelor
British Dictionary definitions for bachelor
bachelor
/ (ˈbætʃələ, ˈbætʃlə) /
noun
- an unmarried man
- (as modifier)a bachelor flat
- a person who holds the degree of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Science, etc
- the degree itself
Also called: bachelor-at-arms (in the Middle Ages) a young knight serving a great noble
bachelor seal a young male seal, esp a fur seal, that has not yet mated
Derived forms of bachelor
bachelorhood, nounWord Origin for bachelor
C13: from Old French bacheler youth, squire, from Vulgar Latin baccalāris (unattested) farm worker, of Celtic origin; compare Irish Gaelic bachlach peasant
usage for bachelor
Gender-neutral form: single person
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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