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Bachelorette (/ˌbætʃələˈrɛt/)[1] is a term used in American English for a single, unmarried woman. The term is derived from the word bachelor, and is often used by journalists, editors of popular magazines, and some individuals. "Bachelorette" was famously the term used to refer to female contestants on the old The Dating Game TV show and, more recently, The Bachelorette.
In older English, the female counterpart term to "bachelor" was "spinster". However, this has acquired negative connotations and, when used now, tends to imply that the unmarried woman is too old to find a husband and have children.[2] A bachelorette may have previously been in a relationship.
In Canada, the term bachelorette also refers to a small bachelor apartment (an apartment with only one large room serving as a bedroom and living room plus a separate bathroom—i.e. a studio apartment).
- ^ "bachelorette noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com". www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com.
- ^ "A woman still unmarried; esp. one beyond the usual age of marriage, an old maid" — definition 2b, entry "Spinster", OED 1st edition.