Word Frequency
bachelor (ˈbætʃələ
; ˈbætʃlə
)
Definitions
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
-
See bachelor seal
Derived Forms
ˈbachelorhood nounGender-neutral form: single person
Word Origin
C13: from Old French bacheler youth, squire, from Vulgar Latin baccalāris (unattested) farm worker, of Celtic origin; compare Irish Gaelic bachlach peasantQuotations including 'bachelor'
"A bachelor never quite gets over the idea that he is a thing of beauty and a boy forever"
"The confirmed bachelor is ... quite as often the victim of a too profound appreciation of the infinite charmingness of woman, as made solitary for life by the legitimate empire of a cold and tasteless temperament"
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife"
Translations for 'bachelor'
- British English: bachelor A bachelor is a man who has never married.ˈbætʃələ; ˈbætʃlə NOUN
- Arabic: أَعْزَب
- Brazilian Portuguese: solteiro
- Chinese: 单身汉
- Croatian: neženja
- Czech: starý mládenec
- Danish: ungkarl
- Dutch: vrijgezel
- European Spanish: soltero soltera
- Finnish: poikamies
- French: célibataire
- German: Junggeselle
- Greek: εργένης
- Italian: scapolo
- Japanese: 独身の男性
- Korean: 미혼남
- Norwegian: ungkar
- Polish: kawaler
- Portuguese: solteirão
- Romanian: burlac burlac, burlaci
- Russian: холостякfamily status
- Spanish: soltero soltera
- Swedish: ungkarl
- Thai: ชายโสด
- Turkish: bekar
- Ukrainian: холостяк
- Vietnamese: người đàn ông độc thân
Example Sentences Including 'bachelor'
A bachelor during his presidency, some said he was married to his job.Globe and Mail (2003)
A tutelary example might be a married couple going to the theatre with a new friend, a bachelor.Jealousy
And by the time shooting of the 1987 film Dead Calm was over, dedicated bachelor Sam was already thinking of marriage.Sun, News of the World (2001)
Beautiful, bachelor Russell must have seemed just what the doctor ordered for a lovely, lonely lady.No Body
But the search is now on to find the UK's regional winners, including Ulster's best bachelor.Belfast Telegraph (2004)
David Smith, the handpicked bachelor on The Next Joe Millionaire: An International Affair, which starts airing tonight.Globe and Mail (2003)
Douglas left them alone, providing Dale was discreet and kept the town thinking him a roving bachelor.Roses are for the Rich
Dr. Susan Calvin had herself announced at Dr. Ninheimer's bachelor quarters in University Hall.The Complete Stories Volume 2
They also discovered that the image of the neglected bachelor pad is now no more than a media fiction.Spiked
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Comments
It may be worth considering the Irish word 'buachaill' which today means: boy, young unmarried man and, traditionally, herdboy, herdsman, man-servant, male employee, lad, boyo, and useful implement (Ó Dónaill's Irish-English Dictionary, 1978). See also www.dil.ie. The example cited above, bachlach, had meanings such as servant, labourer, etc. but is no longer in use or, at least, does not appear in contemporary dictionaries.
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