bach

See also: Bach, bách, bạch, and bac̱h

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bæt͡ʃ/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /bɛtʃ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ætʃ
• Homophone: batch

Etymology 1

Abbreviation of bachelor (or, in later senses, of bachelor pad).

Noun

bach (plural baches)

1. (US slang, now rare) A bachelor.
2. (New Zealand) A small hut, epecially for a man living alone.
3. (New Zealand) Now specifically, a holiday home, typically a small, simple house of one or two rooms on the beach.

   Synonym: (New Zealand, in southern South Island) crib

   • 1983, Keri Hulme, The Bone People, Penguin, published 1986, page 163:

     She stops the car by an ochre-coloured bach at the end of the beachline, by the shelter of a massive thicket of African thorn.

   • 1984, Janet Frame, An Angel at my Table, Virago, published 2024, page 263:

     Even before he began his chores he sunbathed naked against the east wall of the bach for half an hour.

   • 2003, Michael King, The Penguin History of Aotearoa New Zealand, Penguin, published 2023, page 371:

     From 1931 until his death in 1982, Sargeson lived a monastic life in a bach at Takapuna, writing in the mornings and tending his garden and entertaining friends in the latter part of the day.

Derived terms

• geo-bach

Translations

small house

• Maori: kōpuha

Verb

bach (third-person singular simple present baches, present participle baching, simple past and past participle bached)

1. (Canada, US, Australia, New Zealand, now rare) To live as a bachelor; (chiefly of a man) to live without women, and do one's own cooking, housekeeping etc.
   • 1900, Henry Lawson, Over the Sliprails:

     I hurried home to the tent—I was batching with a carpenter.

Etymology 2

Noun

bach (plural baches)

1. (colloquial) Clipping of bachelorette.
   • 2018 April 30, Dani Pascarella, “Why You Feel Guilty When You Spend Money And How To Stop”, in Forbes‎^[2], New York, N.Y.: Forbes Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-24:

     When I ask people how spending money makes them feel, so many of them respond, "Guilty." ¶ They'll give an example of how a rough day at the office led to buying a pair of shoes online or how they got a little carried away at their friend's bach party in Vegas.

   • 2020 August 14, Pippa Raga, “50 of the Best IG Captions for Your Bestie's Bachelorette or Hen Party”, in Distractify‎^[3], archived from the original on 2023-02-02:

     Bachelorette party captions for Instagram […] Babes, baches, bikinis, and boats.

   • 2021 November 12, Erin Celletti, “Montreal Bachelorette Party Guide and Itinerary Ideas”, in Brides‎^[4], archived from the original on 2023-05-31:

     While everyone else is flocking down South for a bach bash, you'll be singing "Oh, Canada," as you spend a weekend immersed in the city's uniquely hip take on old-world European culture.

   • 2023 May 19, Samantha Grindell, Hannah Chubb, “Only the 21 Best Bachelorette Party Destinations for You and Your "I Do" Crew, Bb”, in Cosmopolitan‎^[5], New York, N.Y.: Hearst Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-08-19:

     There are literally thousands of places you could go during a bach weekend in NYC, but take a tip from this New Yorker: Head to Beauty Bar as at least one of your bar-hopping spots.

   • 2023 May 25, Stephanie Cain, quoting Lauren Kay, “Why More Brides Are Opting for Solo Bachelorette Trips”, in The New York Times‎^[6], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-08-23:

     "Bach parties are a time-honored tradition, but just like weddings, these have become hugely personalized," Lauren Kay, the executive editor of The Knot, said. "Can you get married without one or by taking a solo trip? Absolutely."

Further reading

• Bach (New Zealand) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• BHCA

Polish

Pronunciation

 

• IPA^(key): /ˈbax/

• (Lesser Poland):
  • (Lasovia) IPA^(key): /ˈbax/
  • (Western Lublin) IPA^(key): [ˈbax]
  • (Eastern Lublin) IPA^(key): [ˈbax]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ax
• Syllabification: bach

Etymology 1

Onomatopoeic.

Interjection

bach

1. (sometimes repeated) boom, bam, pow, wham (used when imitating a sudden, hard hit)
2. (Lasovia, sometimes repeated) used when drinking a glass of alcohol quickly

Derived terms

verb

• bachnąć

Etymology 2

Clipping of bachor.

Noun

bach m animal

1. (Western Lublin, Eastern Lublin, Lublin Voivodeship, derogatory) Synonym of bachor (“brat”)

Further reading

• bach in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• bach in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• Oskar Kolberg (1865) “bach”, in Lud. Jego zwyczaje, sposób życia, mowa, podania, przysłowia, obrzędy, gusła, zabawy, pieśni, muzyka i tańce. Serya II. Sandomierskie (in Polish), page 260
• Hieronim Łopaciński (1892) “bach”, in “Przyczynki do nowego słownika języka polskiego (słownik wyrazów ludowych z Lubelskiego i innych okolic Królestwa Polskiego”, in Prace Filologiczne (in Polish), volume 4, Warsaw: skł. gł. w Księgarni E. Wende i Ska, page 181

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baːχ/
• Rhymes: -aːχ

Etymology 1

From Middle Welsh bych, from Proto-Brythonic *bɨx, from Proto-Celtic *biggos.

Adjective

bach (feminine singular bach, plural bach, equative lleied, comparative llai, superlative lleiaf)

1. small, little, short

   Na, rwy'n mynd ar y trên bach.

   No, I'm taking the little train.

2. not fully-grown or developed, young
3. insignificant, unimportant, humble
4. small (of business, etc.)
5. lowercase (of letter)

Synonyms

• bychan

Derived terms

• to bach (“circumflex”)
• tŷ bach (“toilet, loo”)

Etymology 2

From Middle Welsh and Old Welsh bach, from Proto-Celtic *bakkos, from Proto-Indo-European *bak-.

Noun

bach m (plural bachau)

1. hook
2. hinge

   Synonyms: corddyn, colfach, colyn

4. (typography) bracket

   Synonym: cromfach

Hyponyms

• bach cyrliog (“curly bracket”)
• bach petryal, bach sgwâr (“square bracket”)
• cromfach (“bracket, parenthesis”)

Derived terms

• bach clo
• bachiad
• bachog
• bachu
• bachyn
• cigfach
• colfach
• crogfach
• gafaelfach

Mutation

Mutated forms of bach

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
bach	fach	mach	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “bach”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies