A young man who wished to be a *knight; later, a young knight in the service of another senior; a novice in arms and warfare, thus by extension, a craftsman or "journeyman not yet of master status; also a student whose degree is below that of a master; a junior member of a "guild. The Latin word is Baccalarius. [< OldFr. bacheler]
Cf. Knight bachelor
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.