bachelor\bach"e*lor\ (băch"&esl;*l&etilde;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. irving.
2. an unmarried woman. [obs.] jonson.
3. a person who has taken the first or lowest degree in the liberal arts, or in some branch of science, at a college or university; as, a bachelor of arts.
4. a knight who had no standard of his own, but fought under the standard of another in the field; often, a young knight.
5. in the companies of london tradesmen, one not yet admitted to wear the livery; a junior member. [obs.]
6. (zo?l.) a kind of bass, an edible fresh-water fish (pomoxys annularis) of the southern united states.
bachelor n
1. a man who has never been married
[syn: unmarried man] 2. a knight of the lowest order; could display only a pennon
[syn: knight bachelor, bachelor-at-arms] v : lead a bachelor's existence
[syn: bach]
similar words(6)