Adjacent Words

Bachelor definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BACH'ELOR, n.[L.baculus, a stick, that is, a shoot.]
1. A young man who has not been married.
2. A man of any age, who has not been married; often with the word old.
3. A person who has taken the first degree in the liberal arts and sciences, at a college or university. This degree or honor is called the baccalaureate. This title is given also to such as take the first degree in divinity, law or physic, in certain European universities.
4. A knight of the lowest order, or more correctly, a young knight, styled, a knight bachelor. The Germans anciently constituted their young men knights or soldiers, by presenting to them a shield and a lance, in a great council. This ceremony answered to that of the toga virilis of the Romans. In the livery companies of London, those persons not yet admitted to the livery are called bachelors.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a man who has never been married [syn: bachelor, unmarried man]
2: a knight of the lowest order; could display only a pennon [syn: knight bachelor, bachelor-at-arms, bachelor] v
1: lead a bachelor's existence [syn: bachelor, bach]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English bacheler, from Anglo-French Date: 14th century 1. a young knight who follows the banner of another 2. a person who has received what is usually the lowest degree conferred by a 4-year college, university, or professional school <bachelor of arts>; also the degree itself <received a bachelor of laws> 3. a. an unmarried man b. a male animal (as a fur seal) without a mate during breeding time • bachelordom noun • bachelorhood noun II. adjective Date: 1857 1. suitable for or occupied by a single person <a bachelor apartment> 2. unmarried <bachelor women> <bachelor parents>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 an unmarried man. 2 a man or woman who has taken the degree of Bachelor of Arts or Science etc. 3 hist. a young knight serving under another's banner. Phrases and idioms: bachelor girl an independent unmarried young woman. bachelor's buttons any of various button-like flowers, esp. the double buttercup. Derivatives: bachelorhood n. bachelorship n. Etymology: ME & OF bacheler aspirant to knighthood, of uncert. orig.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Holluschickie Hol"lus*chick`ie, n. sing. & pl. [Prob. of Russ. goluishka bare of possessions, offspring, etc., fr. golui[i^] naked.] (Zo["o]l.) A young male fur seal, esp. one from three to six years old; -- called also bachelor, because prevented from breeding by the older full-grown males. Note: The holluschickie are the seals that may legally be killed for their skins. But he'll lie down on the killing grounds where the holluschickie go. --Kipling.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bachelor Bach"e*lor (b[a^]ch"[-e]*l[~e]r), n. [OF. bacheler young man, F. bachelier (cf.Pr. bacalar, Sp. bachiller, Pg. bacharel, It. baccalare), LL. baccalarius the tenant of a kind of farm called baccalaria, a soldier not old or rich enough to lead his retainers into battle with a banner, a person of an inferior academical degree aspiring to a doctorate. In the latter sense, it was afterward changed to baccalaureus. See Baccalaureate, n.] 1. A man of any age who has not been married. As merry and mellow an old bachelor as ever followed a hound. --W. Irving. 2. An unmarried woman. [Obs.] --B. Jonson.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bachelors) A bachelor is a man who has never married. N-COUNT

Foolish Dictionary

From Latin baculus, a stick, unattached. Hence, an unattached man, which any lady may stick, stick to, or get stuck on.

Moby Thesaurus

Bayard, Don Quixote, Gawain, Lancelot, Ritter, Sidney, Sir Galahad, baccalaureate, baccalaureus, bach, banneret, baronet, caballero, cavalier, chevalier, companion, confirmed bachelor, degree, doctor, doctorate, knight, knight bachelor, knight banneret, knight baronet, knight-errant, master, old bach, single man