Etymologically
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bachelor

Etymology and origin of the English word bachelor

History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈbæt͡ʃ.ə.lə(ɹ)/ (UK); /ˈbæt͡ʃ.ə.lɚ/, /ˈbæt͡ʃ.lɚ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English bacheler (“squire, youth”),[2][3] borrowed from Old French bacheler,[2][4][3] a word of uncertain origin.[4] It is usually traced to Medieval Latin baccalārius, a tenant farmer or farm hand,[2][3][4] which Random House connects with Latin vacca “cow” through a word for a dairy farm.[5] Other suggestions include a Celtic origin[2][4] and Latin baculum “stick”, since a squire practised with a staff.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A young man or squire; a young knight who served under another's banner (about 1300).[3][4][6]

Semantic evolution

Old French bacheler already covered a young squire training for knighthood, a young unmarried man and a university title.[4] In English the senses are recorded close together: a knight too young or too poor to lead men under his own banner (1297),[6] a holder of the lowest university degree (1362),[6] and an unmarried man (about 1386).[6][4] A junior member of a trade guild was also called a bachelor (1390).[6][3] In the 19th century the word was applied to young male fur seals kept away from the breeding grounds by older bulls.[6][2]

Timeline

  • 1297 – a young knight who followed another's banner.[6]
  • 1362 – one who holds the first university degree.[6]
  • about 1386 – an unmarried man of marriageable age.[6]
  • 1390 – a junior member of a trade guild (obsolete).[6]
  • 1857 – as an adjective, suited to or occupied by a single person.[7]
  • 1874 – a young male fur seal kept from the breeding grounds.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A man who has not married.
  2. A person who holds a bachelor's degree, or the degree itself.
  3. A male animal, such as a young fur seal, without a mate in the breeding season.
  4. (history) A young knight who served under the banner of another.

Adjective

  1. Suited to or occupied by a single person.
  2. Unmarried.

Word family

  • bachelordom
  • bachelorhood
  • bachelorlike
  • bachelorly
  • bachelorette
  • bachelorism
  • nonbachelor
  • baccalaureate

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Bachelor.” Etymologically, 10 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/bachelor. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on .