A bachelor is traditionally an unmarried but marriageable man, however some restrict the usage to men who have never been married. The female equivalent term is spinster. In literature during the Victorian era, the term was sometimes used as a euphemism for a homosexual man, particularly in the term confirmed bachelor. The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view. ... Note: a spinster may also be someone involved in creating spin in public relations. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her Accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of Great Britain is considered the height of the British industrial revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... A euphemism is an expression intended by the speaker to be less offensive, disturbing, or troubling to the listener than the word or phrase it replaces, or in the case of doublespeak to make it less troublesome for the speaker. ... Since the first coinage, the word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings. ...

Etymology and historical meanings

• The word is from Old French bacheler "knight bachelor," a young squire in training, ultimately from Latin baccalarius, a vassal farmer.
• The Old French term was loaned into English around 1300, referring to one belonging to the lowest stage of knighthood. Knights bachelor were either poor vassals who could not afford to take the field under their own banner, or knights too young to support the responsibility and dignity of knights banneret.
• from the 14th century, the term was also used for a junior member of a guild, otherwise known as "yeomen", or university.
• Hence, an ecclesiastic of an inferior grade, e.g. a young monk or even recently appointed canon (Severtius, de episcopis Lugdunen-sibus, p. 377, in du Cange).
• Those holding the preliminary degree of a university, enabling them to proceed to that of master (magister) which alone entitled them to teach. In this sense the word baccalarius or baccalaureus first appears at the University of Paris in the 13th century, in the system of degrees established under the auspices of Pope Gregory IX, as applied to scholars still in statu pupillari. Thus there were two classes of baccalarii: the baccalarii cursores, i.e. theological candidates passed for admission to the divinity course, and the baccalarii dispositi, who, having completed this course, were entitled to proceed to the higher degrees. The term baccalaureus is a pun combining the prosaic baccalarius with bacca lauri "laurel berry".
• In modern universities the significance of the degree of bachelor, in relation to the others, varies; e.g. at Oxford and Cambridge the bachelor can proceed to his mastership by simply retaining his name on the books and paying certain fees; but generally, further studies are necessary. But in no case is the bachelor a full member of the university, meaning that he does not have the right to teach. With the admission of women to universities from the late 19th century, the term in its academic sense could also apply to females.
• The sense of "unmarried man" dates to 1385. The feminine bachelorette is from 1935, replacing earlier bachelor-girl. In 19th century American slang to bach was used as a verb meaning "to live as an unmarried man".

Old French is a term sometimes used to refer to the langue doïl, the continuum of varieties of Romance language spoken in territories corresponding roughly to the northern half of modern France and parts of Belgium and Switzerland during the period roughly from 1000 to 1300 A.D... In medieval times a squire was a man-at-arms in the service of a knight, often as his apprentice. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... A vassal or liege, in the terminology that both preceded and accompanied the feudalism of medieval Europe, is one who enters into mutual obligations with a lord, usually of military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain guarantees, which came to include the terrain held as a fief. ... Events Beginning of the Renaissance. ... A statue of an armoured knight of the Middle Ages For the chess piece, see knight (chess). ... The dignity of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. ... During the Middle Ages, a Knight banneret (sometimes known simply as banneret) was a feudal knight (not necessarily a nobleman, but nearly always) who led a company of troops into battle under his own banner (which was square-shaped, in contrast to the tapering standard or the pennon flown by... A guild is an association of people of the same trade or pursuits (with a similar skill or craft), formed to protect mutual interests and maintain standards of morality or conduct. ... A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctor) in a variety of subjects. ... A Roman Catholic monk A monk is a person who practices monasticism, adopting a strict religious and ascetic lifestyle, usually in community with others following the same path. ... A canon (from the Latin canonicus and Greek κανωνικωσ relating to a rule) is a priest who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to a rule (canon). ... Charles du Fresne, sieur du Cange or Ducange (Amiens, December 18, 1610 – Paris, October 23, 1688) was a distinguished philologist and historian of the Middle Ages and Byzantium. ... A university is an institution of higher education and of research, which grants academic degrees at all levels (bachelor, master, and doctor) in a variety of subjects. ... The Sorbonne, Paris, in a 17th century engraving The historic University of Paris (French: Université de Paris) first appeared in the second half of the 12th century, but was in 1970 reorganized as 13 autonomous universities (University of Paris I–XIII). ... Papal Arms of Pope Gregory IX. Gregory IX, né Ugolino di Conti (Anagni, ca. ... A pun (also known as paronomasia) is a figure of speech which consists of a deliberate confusion of similar words or phrases for rhetorical effect, whether humorous or serious. ... Some trees and shrubs in the laurel family Lauraceae are called Laurel: Bay laurel Laurus nobilis, the original true laurel that is the source of bay leaves used as a seasoning. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and appeal to a wider international audience, this article may require cleanup. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world, with one of the most selective sets of entry requirements in the United Kingdom. ...

Penal laws and customs

Bachelors, in the sense of unmarried men, have in many countries been subjected to penal laws. At Sparta, citizens who remained unmarried after a certain age suffered various penalties. They were not allowed to witness the gymnastic exercises of the maidens; and during winter they were compelled to march naked round the market-place, singing a song composed against themselves and expressing the justice of their punishment. The usual respect of the young to the old was not paid to bachelors. Sparta (Σπάρτη) was a city in ancient Greece, whose territory included, in Classical times, all Laconia and Messenia, and which was the most powerful state of the Peloponnesus. ... Body of a woman - digital painting Nudity or nakedness is the state of wearing no clothing. ...

At Athens there was no definite legislation on this matter; but certain minor laws are evidently dictated by a spirit akin to the Spartan doctrine. At Rome, though there appear traces of some earlier legislation in the matter, the first clearly known law is that called the Lex Julia, passed about 18 BC. It does not appear to have ever come into full operation; and in AD 9 it was incorporated with the Lex Papia et Poppaea, the two laws being frequently cited as one, Lex Julia et Papia Poppaea. This law, while restricting marriages between the several classes of the people, laid heavy penalties on unmarried persons, gave certain privileges to those citizens who had several children, and finally imposed lighter penalties on married persons who were childless. Athens (Greek: Αθήνα Athína IPA ) is the capital of Greece and one of the most famous cities in the world. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Lex Julia et Papia Poppaea was a law enacted by Roman emperor Augustus Caesar around 18 BC. The history of the law is not quite clear. ...

Isolated instances of such penalties occur during the middle ages, e.g. by a charter of liberties granted by Matilda I, countess of Nevers, to Auxerre in 1223, an annual tax of five solidi is imposed on any man qui non habet uxorem et est bache-larius. In Great Britain there has been no direct legislation bearing on bachelors; but, occasionally, taxes have been made to bear more heavily on them than on others. Instances of this are an Act passed in 1695; the tax on servants, 1785; and the income tax, 1798. Nevers is a commune of central France, the préfecture (capital) of the Nièvre département, in the former province of Nivernais. ... Auxerre is a commune in the Bourgogne région of France, between Paris and Dijon. ... // Events August 6 - Louis VIII is crowned King of France. ... Events January 27 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed II to Mustafa II (1695-1703) July 17 - The Bank of Scotland is founded by an Act of Parliament of the old Scottish Parliament. ... A servant is a person who is hired to provide regular household or other duties, and receives compensation. ... 1785 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

In some cultures, the "punishment" of bachelors is no more than a teasing game. In small towns in Germany, for example, men who are still unmarried on their 30th birthday are made to sweep the stairs of the town hall until kissed by a virgin. City Hall is a 1996 film directed by Harold Becker. ... In Roman times, Vestal Virgins were strictly celibate or they were punished by death. ...

See also

• Bachelor's degree
• Marriage strike
• Bachelor group
• Sex-selective abortion and infanticide
• Erotophobia
• Love-shyness
• Bachelor party

To meet Wikipedias quality standards and appeal to a wider international audience, this article may require cleanup. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Fathers rights. ... A bachelor group (or bachelor band) is the term for the groups of young, non-dominant males that form in certain species, among them apes, horses, dogs and whales. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sex selection abortion. ... Erotophobia is the fear of marriage and romantic relationships. ... The term love-shyness is sometimes used to designate a specific type of severe chronic shyness. ... A bachelor party (also called a stag party, stag night (UK), or bucks party (Australia)) is a party held for a bachelor shortly before he is married, to commemorate his final opportunity to engage in activities a new wife might not approve of, or merely to spend time bonding with...

Further reading

• Why Men Won't Commit: Exploring Young Men's Attitudes About Sex, Dating and Marriage by Drs. Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and David Popenoe - An essay on young, not-yet married men’s attitudes on the timing of marriage finds that men experience few social pressures to marry, gain many of the benefits of marriage by cohabiting with a romantic partner, and are ever more reluctant to commit to marriage in their early adult years.

• The Marriage No-Shows by Carey Roberts - When almost one-quarter of single men are in their prime courting years (that’s two million potential husbands).