bach

¹

[ bach ]

noun

1. a bachelor.
2. New Zealand. a small weekend or vacation house or shack.

Bach

²

[ bahkh ]

noun

1. Jo·hann Se·bas·ti·an [yoh, -hahn si-, bas, -ch, uh, n, yoh, -hahn zey-, bahs, -tee-ahn], 1685–1750, German organist and composer.
2. his sons: Carl Philipp E·ma·nu·el [kahrl-, fil, -ipi-, man, -yoo-, uh, l, kah, r, l-, fee, -lipey-, mah, -noo-el], 1714–88; Johann Chris·ti·an [kris, -ch, uh, n, kris, -tee-ahn], 1735–82; Johann Chris·toph Frie·drich [kris, -tof-, free, -drik, kris, -tawf-, free, -d, r, i, kh], 1732–95; and Wil·helm Frie·de·mann [wil, -helm-, free, -d, uh, -mahn, vil, -helm-, free, -d, uh, -mahn], 1710–84, German organists and composers.

bach

¹

/ bætʃ /

verb

1. a variant spelling of batch 1

noun

1. a simple cottage, esp at the seaside

bach

²

/ bax; bɑːk /

noun

1. a term of friendly address: used esp after a person's name

Bach

³

/ bax /

noun

1. BachJohann Christian17351782MGermanMUSIC: composer Johann Christian (joˈhan ˈkrɪstjan), 11th son of J. S. Bach. 1735–82, German composer, called the English Bach , resident in London from 1762
2. BachJohann Christoph16421703MGermanMUSIC: composer Johann Christoph (ˈkrɪstɔf). 1642–1703, German composer: wrote oratorios, cantatas, and motets, some of which were falsely attributed to J. S. Bach, of whom he was a distant relative
3. BachJohann Sebastian16851750MGermanMUSIC: composer Johann Sebastian (joˈhan zeˈbastjan). 1685–1750, German composer: church organist at Arnstadt (1703–07) and Mühlhausen (1707–08); court organist at Weimar (1708–17); musical director for Prince Leopold of Köthen (1717–28); musical director for the city of Leipzig (1728–50). His output was enormous and displays great vigour and invention within the northern European polyphonic tradition. His works include nearly 200 cantatas and oratorios, settings of the Passion according to St John (1723) and St Matthew (1729), the six Brandenburg Concertos (1720–21), the 48 preludes and fugues of the Well-tempered Clavier (completed 1744), and the Mass in B Minor (1733–38)
4. BachKarl (or Carl)17141788MGermanMUSIC: composer Karl ( or Carl ) Philipp Emanuel (karl ˈfiːlɪp eˈmaːnuɛl), 3rd son of J. S. Bach. 1714–88, German composer, chiefly of symphonies, keyboard sonatas, and church music
5. BachWilhelm Friedemann17101784MGermanMUSIC: composer Wilhelm Friedemann (ˈvɪlhɛlm ˈfriːdəman), eldest son of J. S. Bach. 1710–84, German composer: wrote nine symphonies and much keyboard and religious music

Word History and Origins

Origin of bach¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; by shortening

Word History and Origins

Origin of bach¹

Welsh, literally: little one

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. bach it, to live alone or share living quarters with someone of the same gender, usually doing one's own housework, cooking, laundry, etc.

Example Sentences

The Pulitzer Prize-winning book Gödel, Escher, Bach inspired legions of computer scientists in 1979, but few were as inspired as Melanie Mitchell.

From Quanta Magazine

It would be as though someone demanded, contractually, that you, personally, in return for your nice income as a real estate agent, go on national TV once a month and play the Chaconne from Bach’s Partita No.

From Washington Post

A new set of safety protocols for athletes and other stakeholders is expected to be announced next week, and Bach said he is buoyed by the success of other sporting events that have been staged in recent months.

From Washington Post

“I think everybody should take into consideration and slowly give more room to confidence and hope and then start to leave the doubts a little bit behind,” Bach said.

From Washington Post

After getting a college education nearby, she found herself engaged to the scion of a cattle empire who listened to Bach in his Mercedes.

From Outside Online

It takes Sharp four hours to get into character: “I take joy in the mathematical, symmetrical precision and perfectness of Bach.”

From The Daily Beast

The Day I Started Lying to Ruth Peter B. Bach, New York A cancer doctor on losing his wife to cancer.

From The Daily Beast

In Taipei, Taiwan, a Bach flash mob consisting of cellists and tuba players took over a train.

From The Daily Beast

As Bach on the Subways has grown in size and stature, its audience has expanded beyond surprised strangers.

From The Daily Beast

“The highlight was a school field trip that came specially to see Bach in the Subways who were perfectly behaved,” he says.

From The Daily Beast

She was seated upon it, when I arrived with the third load, and through the house were dancing the sounds of a Bach gavotte.

From Project Gutenberg

Liszt, who calls him "an enthusiastic student of Bach," speaks likewise of "les errements d'une ecole entierement classique."

From Project Gutenberg

Palestrina and Bach were deities in my eyes, and I was casting down the idols they were accustomed to worship.

From Project Gutenberg

But his most ardent devotion is reserved for Sebastian Bach.

From Project Gutenberg

In Berlin, Mendelssohn became the leading figure in the propaganda for the music of Bach.

From Project Gutenberg