bacon

Meaning

1. (uncountable, usually) Cured meat from the sides, belly, or back of a pig.
2. (uncountable, usually) Thin slices of the above in long strips.
3. (derogatory, slang, uncountable, usually) The police or spies.
4. (slang, uncountable, usually) Road rash.
5. (archaic, uncountable, usually) A saucisse.

Synonyms

pork

ham

brisket

speck

swine’s flesh

boarp

smoked meat

Translations

Speck

🥓

pancetta

lardo

lard

🥓

tocino

🥓

μπέικον

toucinho

🥓

spek

🥓

καπνιστό χοιρινό

panceta

lardon

bacon

🥓

cansalada

🥓

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈbeɪ.kən/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: bacoun

Cognate with Old Saxon: baco

Cognate with Dutch: bake

Cognate with Old High German: bahho

Cognate with German: Bache

Cognate with Swiss German: Bache

In summary

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”).