bachelor
UK[ˈbætʃələ]US[ˈbætʃələr]
n
a man who is not and has never been married
n
a person who holds a first degree from a university or college
Etymology
The word 'bachelor' has a journey from the farmyard to the university and the marital status. It entered Middle English from Old French 'bacheler', meaning a young knight or aspirant. This French term likely derived from Medieval Latin 'baccalārius', referring to a farmhand or tenant farmer, possibly linked to 'baccalāria', a term for a plot of land. The semantic evolution is logical: from a low-ranking farm worker or a novice knight, the term broadened to denote a junior member of any guild or university (a bachelor of arts being the first, probationary degree), and eventually specialized to its most common modern sense of an unmarried man, carrying connotations of youth and a preliminary stage in life.
Analysis
The word 'bachelor' is a simplex loanword. Its core form does not allow for segmentation into productive morphemes within modern English spelling. It entered English as a whole unit from Old French.
Examples
He remained a bachelor all his life, dedicating himself to his research.
She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the university.
The bachelor apartment was small but sufficient for his needs.