bachelor
[ bach-uh-ler, bach-ler ]
/ ˈbætʃ ə lər, ˈbætʃ 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 bachelor-at-arms.
a young knight who followed the banner of another.
Also called household knight.
a landless knight.
Origin of bachelor
1250–1300; Middle English
bacheler < Old French < Vulgar Latin
*baccalār(is) farm hand; akin to Late Latin
baccalāria piece of land, orig. plural of
*baccalārium dairy farm, equivalent to
*baccālis of cows (
bacca, variant of Latin
vacca cow +
-ālis
-al1) +
-ārium place
OTHER WORDS FROM bachelor
bach·e·lor·like, adjective bach·e·lor·ly, adjective non·bach·e·lor, noun pre·bach·e·lor, adjective, nounWords nearby bachelor
Definition for bachelor (2 of 2)
bachelor's
[ bach-uh-lerz, bach-lerz ]
/ ˈbætʃ ə lərz, ˈbætʃ lərz /
noun Informal.
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