As you know, at family celebrations, when the exchange of courtesies ends, a discussion of two classic topics begins: family and work (or study). Pupils are asked about where they intend to go to study, students - where they plan to work, spouses are bombarded with questions about children, and bachelors are asked about when they get married. Let's see why the last category is asked just that, and also find out who a bachelor is, and find out the reasons for this lifestyle.
The origin of the word "bachelor"
First of all, it is worth clarifying the etymology of the considered masculine noun. Oddly enough, there is not one, but several versions of the origin of this term.
It is generally accepted that the word "bachelor" is formed from the verb "groom". In those days, this term had the meaning not to "care", but to "shave / cut." By the way, in the Ukrainian language this word is used today in this sense, though the initial consonant has changed from "x" to "g" - "gobble / gobble."
Adherents of this theory argue that among our ancestors who have reached puberty, boys have shortly shaved or shaved. However, in order to get married, they needed to acquire an household or earn a living. Therefore, unmarried guys, but already able to start a family, were called âbachelors,â that is, âsheared.â By the way, this theory refutes the prevailing opinion that the term originally studied was called mainly old men without a family.
Another version of origin or bachelor castrato
There is a less pleasant (for the strong half of humanity) theory about who a bachelor is. According to her, the considered noun is formed from the word "emasculated", that is, "scattered".
In other words, originally single men were called men who lost the ability to have sex and have children, and, therefore, did not marry.
Single - single
There are also people who believe that the term in question came from Latin, from solitarius (prone to loneliness).
Who is a bachelor (meaning of the word)
Having considered the most popular versions of the origin of the studied noun, it is worth paying detailed attention to its meaning.
So who is a bachelor? In the modern world, this is the name of a currently unmarried man. Moreover, it does not matter his age, the presence of a temporary or permanent girl and whether he was married earlier.
Bachelor
Having considered who a bachelor is (a definition), it is worth learning about unmarried women. In the Russian language there is a single-root word for it, âbachelorâ.
At first, this noun was applied to the lifestyle of emancipated women, only later it began to be used as just the name of unmarried ladies.
It is worth noting that today bachelors are more often called independent representatives of the fair sex, who deliberately remain free from marriage obligations. For unmarried beauties, the offensive expression âold maidâ is often used.
TV show "Bachelor"
With the light hand of American television workers for viewers around the world, the term âbachelorâ has also come to mean the name of the reality dating show The Bachelor.
The popularity of this project turned out to be so high that most countries of the world launched similar shows that were no less successful.
For example, in Russia âBachelorâ has already gone 5 seasons and by 2018 is preparing for the 6th.
They have already shot 7 seasons on Ukrainian television, and are preparing to release the 8th next year. It is worth noting that in the 3rd season of the popular detective television series âSnifferâ a peculiar parody of âThe Bachelorâ was shown, where the Indian false prince acted as an enviable groom.
The essence of this show is that in every season a celebrity participates in it. This man goes on dates with different girls who are trying to attract the attention of the eminent bachelor. With each release, the number of brides decreases. For the finale, the protagonist has to choose the one with which he would like to associate his fate. However, it happens that a man may not find his soul mate among the contestants.
In the Russian âBachelorâ, such beauties as Yevgeny Levchenko, Maxim Chernyavsky, Timur Batrutdinov, Alexey Vorobyov and Ilya Glinnikov participated.
In the Ukrainian version of the show, such enviable grooms appeared as Maxim Chmerkovsky, a distant relative of the last tsar dynasty of the Russian Empire - Francis Alexander Matthew Romanov, Andrey Iskornev, banker Konstantin Yevtushenko, football player Sergey Melnik, producer Irakli Makatsaria and Dmitry Cherkasov.
Features of a similar way of life in the old days
Having learned who a bachelor is (and his definition of not only as a person not bound by marriage, but also as the name of a popular television project), it is worth considering the features of this lifestyle.
In the old days, when there were no vaccinations, antibiotics and antipyretic drugs (in general, all that some contemporaries tired of the benefits of civilization so actively rebel against) mortality among the population was very high. For example, a commonplace cold could become fatal due to the fact that humanity has not yet been able to bring down the temperature. What can we say about more serious diseases requiring surgical intervention.
In this regard, the quality of life was replaced by its quantity, therefore, in almost all countries there was a cult of childbearing. At the same time, men and women who did not marry and did not give offspring were considered inferior. By the way, the society for men was less strict, since they could maintain a reproductive function almost until old age, which in those days came to 40-50.
At that time, a bachelor lifestyle was not particularly welcomed and was considered a temporary or forced phenomenon, which was often true. After all, having married, the young man assumed full financial responsibility for his wife and future children. And in order to be able to provide for his family, the bachelor had to first earn at least a little, because not all were the offspring of wealthy parents.
It is worth noting that wealthy men also did not always rush to the crown, dreamed of living for themselves, relaxing or choosing a richer spouse. But even here the society tried to direct them to the âtrue pathâ, because in many countries bachelors could not occupy important posts.
Who is a bachelor today?
In the modern world, bachelor life is different from what it was before. Thanks to medical advances, the vast majority of children survive and give birth to 10 babies in the family, with the expectation that at least 3 of them will survive - optional. Therefore, the cult of childbearing is no longer relevant, other problems come to the fore.
As for the financial ability of a man to marry, today they are much higher. Now almost every woman has the opportunity to earn money, and the state pays financial support for the children of almost every, albeit a small one. Based on this, a bachelor lifestyle today is more a conscious choice, rather than a conscious necessity. Moreover, with the development of technology, any man can take care of himself, having a washing machine, vacuum cleaner, microwave and unlimited Internet.
In this regard, in modern society, a bachelor is often perceived no longer as a way of life, but as a certain psychotype.
As a rule, to the question: âWho is a bachelor?â in psychology, it is customary to answer that this is an infantile man who is not able or unwilling to take responsibility for others. Instead of building relationships and being faithful to their halves, such an individual prefers to have numerous fleeting novels.
However, a bachelor lifestyle is not always a personâs choice, and sometimes is a consequence of a long-standing psychological trauma. For example, the parents of a man did not live in friendship, constantly scandal between themselves. As a result, he developed a negative attitude towards marriage.
Such a bachelor can successfully build relationships with a woman for years, while their union will look like something not burdensome. However, when it comes to official marriage, he may begin to behave inappropriately.
A vivid example of this situation can be seen in the popular American television series Friends. The parents of one of the main characters divorced when he was a child. Because of this, the guy was afraid not only to make an offer to his girlfriend, but also almost ran away from the wedding with her.
It is worth remembering that there are people who are so self-sufficient that they do not need a soul mate at all.
They lead a bachelor lifestyle, as it is more convenient for them.
Synonyms
Having considered who a bachelor is (the meaning of the word), as well as the features of such a lifestyle, it is worth learning about the most common synonyms for this noun.
In addition to âunmarried menâ, this term can be replaced with the words âlordâ and âfreeâ, as well as with the same root names: âbachelorâ, âbachelorâ.