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

The singer, songwriter and actor had long played by his own rules as a bachelor and a fiercely independent artist.

From Los Angeles Times

The Democratic presidential nominee graduated from Howard in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in political science and economics.

From BBC

I’ve written about degree inflation before — employers requiring a bachelor’s degree or more for work that really doesn’t need it.

From Los Angeles Times

Something had started to shift in me in the final year of getting my bachelor’s degree.

From Salon

Journalism stayed on his mind after he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from UC Irvine at just 18 and studied afterward at NYU and in Cairo while considering international relations as a career.

From Los Angeles Times