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bacon

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bacon¹

  • /ˈbeɪ.kən/

Sounds like bakin' (US) · Rhymes with -eɪkən

Where it comes from

From Middle English bacoun (“meat from the back and sides of a pig”), from Anglo-Norman bacon, bacun (“ham, flitch, strip of lard”), from Old Low Frankish *bakō (“ham, flitch”), from Proto-Germanic *bakô, *bakkô (“back”), an extension of *baką, whence English back, which see for more. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg- (“back, buttocks; to vault, arch”).

Cognate with Old Saxon baco (“back”), Dutch bake (“ham, side of bacon”), Old High German bahho (“ham, side of bacon”), whence German Bache f (“wild sow”), Alemannic German Bache m (“bacon”).

(police): Extension of pig (“police”).

noun bacons

  1. uncountable, usually Cured meat from the sides, belly, or back of a pig. They fried the fish with bacon and were astonished, for no fish had ever seemed so delicious before.
  2. sometimes, uncountable, usually Such meat from the belly specifically.
  3. uncountable, usually Thin slices of the above in long strips. As mesmerizing as it is to watch Kristen Kish whip up bacon and cinnamon waffles with boysenberry and strawberry jam, imagine playing poker with Hosea Rosenberg.
  4. broadly, uncountable, usually A similar product made without meat, or from meat other than pork. beef bacon; vegetarian bacon
  5. derogatory, slang, uncountable, usually The police or spies. Run! It's the bacon!
  6. slang, uncountable, usually Road rash.
  7. archaic, uncountable, usually A saucisse.

Similar: ham, pork

Bacon²

  • /ˈbeɪ.kən/

Where it comes from

* As an English and French surname, from the noun bacon.

* Also as an English, French, and Norman surname, from the Germanic personal name *Bahho, from Proto-Germanic *bēganą (“to fight”).

proper noun

  1. A surname. The bill, which lawmakers approved in a 211-206 vote, now moves to the Republican-led Senate for consideration. One Republican, Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, voted with Democrats Thursday against the measure.
  2. An unincorporated community in Orange County, Indiana.
  3. An unincorporated community in Moniteau County, Missouri.
  4. A township in Vernon County, Missouri.
  5. An unincorporated community in Coshocton County, Ohio.
  6. A village in Lagunes District, Ivory Coast.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: baron verulam, francis bacon, lard, meat, pork, bread, chaw, skin, blubber, hen, chicken, lad, beacon, crumble, foster, slob

noun

Similar: ham, pork

Translations

Every language

noun cut of meat

Españoltocino, beicon, tocineta, panceta ahumada, bacón
한국어베이컨 beikeon
日本語ベーコン bēkon
中文熏鹹肉 xūn xiánròu, 培根 péigēn, 燻肉 /熏肉 xūnròu, 鹹肉 /咸肉 xiánròu
हिन्दीबेकन bekan
Portuguêstoucinho defumado, bacon
Françaislard, lardon, bacon
DeutschSpeck, Bauchspeck, Bacon
Italianopancetta
Ελληνικάμπέικον béikon
Românăbacon, slănină, lard
Русскийбеко́н bekón, ветчина́ vetčiná
Tiếng Việtthịt muối, thịt lợn muối xông khói
العربيةبَاكُون bākūn, بَيْكُون baykūn
עבריתקותל חזיר kótel khazír, קָתְלֵי חֲזִיר kotléy khazír

noun thin slice of pork

Españoltocino
Ελληνικάμπέικον béikon
עבריתקותל חזיר kótel khazír

name surname

中文培根 Péigēn
РусскийБэ́кон Bɛ́kon

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"bacon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/bacon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

bacon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/bacon

Chicago

"bacon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/bacon.

BibTeX
@misc{bacon_2026,
  title = {bacon},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/bacon},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}