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 bach·e·lor-at-arms [bach, -ler-, uh, t-, ahrmz] . a young knight who followed the banner of another.
5. Also called house·hold knight [hous, -hohld , nahyt]. 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 calledbachelor-at-arms (in the Middle Ages) a young knight serving a great noble
4. bachelor seal
   a young male seal, esp a fur seal, that has not yet mated

Usage

Gender-neutral form: single person

Derived Forms

• ˈbachelorhood, noun

Other Words From

• bach·e·lor·like adjective
• bach·e·lor·ly adjective
• non·bach·e·lor noun
• pre·bach·e·lor adjective 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

See, his bosses keep borrowing his bachelor pad for their affairs, and he lets them, hoping to get promoted up a few floors.

From Washington Post

Previously, he taught physics and English in Mozambique and Japan, and he has a bachelor’s in physics from Brown University.

From Nautilus

He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Johns Hopkins University and a master’s degree in homeland security from the Naval Postgraduate School.

From Washington Post

Lazear received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of California at Los Angeles, both in 1971, and a PhD in economics from Harvard University in 1974.

From Washington Post

Ginsburg would go on to not only graduate high school, but also get her bachelor’s at Cornell and attend law school at Harvard and Columbia.

From Fortune

This gives the show about the same real-life success rate as The Bachelor.

From The Daily Beast

It was a bachelor party in Arizona, where a group of friends were venting their frustrations while using Tinder.

From The Daily Beast

Clooney, by contrast, is a 50-something (former) bachelor with a history of commitment issues.

From The Daily Beast

But by choosing this fauxhawked farmer, ‘The Bachelor’ promises to be as exciting as watching soybeans grow.

From The Daily Beast

If ESPN is a sleek bachelor pad, ESPNW is the cottage next door filled with Activia and ultra-soft toilet paper.

From The Daily Beast

As a good-looking young bachelor, though a detrimental, he had been very popular.

From Project Gutenberg

She thought the idol would consume them, for bachelor cooking was never intended for bachelor invalids.

From Project Gutenberg

The various lodgings of my bachelor days was never quite of the conventional sort.

From Project Gutenberg

They very much enjoyed their tête-à-tête dinner; as they had enjoyed many a one in Hartledon's bachelor days.

From Project Gutenberg

Children soon appeared on the scene; my bachelor days were over.

From Project Gutenberg