bachelor

/ˈbætʃ(ə)lər/

/ˈbætʃələ/

Other forms: bachelors

There are two criteria needed in order to be a bachelor: one is that you can’t be married, and the other is that you have to be a man. Any people outside of these criteria are some other word.

The origins of bachelor are unclear, but some similar Latin words are baccalāris (“farm hand”), baccalārium (“dairy farm”), and bacca (“cow”). Maybe some bachelors spent a lot of time milking cows before getting married in the olden days. The phrase “eligible bachelor” means a guy who would make a great husband, and the phrase “confirmed bachelor” describes a man who is having so much fun being single that he’ll probably never marry. Either way, pronounce it like this: BATCH-uh-lur.

Definitions of bachelor

1. noun

   a man who has never been married
   synonyms: unmarried man

   type of:

   adult male, man

   an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
2. verb

   lead a bachelor's existence
   synonyms: bach

   type of:

   live

   lead a certain kind of life; live in a certain style
3. noun

   a knight of the lowest order; could display only a pennon
   synonyms: bachelor-at-arms, knight bachelor

   type of:

   knight

   originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit