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, noun

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

  1. an unmarried man
  2. (as modifier)a bachelor flat
  1. a person who holds the degree of Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Science, etc
  2. 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, noun

Word 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