Obs. or dial. Forms: 1 bæcestre, -istre, -ystre, 2–3 bakestre, 4–5 bakestir, bacstare, 5 baxstere, backstare, 6–7 backster, baxster, 7 bakster, 5– baxter. [OE. bæcestre, fem. of bæcere, f. bacan to BAKE: see -STER. A true feminine in origin, and used of women as late as 16th c.; but already in OE. used also of men (see Gen. xl. 1, of a eunuch), and in ME. used of both sexes, as the Vocabularies expressly show; in later use only masculine, being the regular northern, and esp. Sc., equivalent of baker, in which use it still lingers dialectally. In 16th c. a new feminine BACKSTR-ESS was formed upon it; cf. songstress, seamstress.] A baker: a. applied to women.
1390. Test. Ebor. (1836), I. 143. Lego Matildæ bakestir j. goune.
c. 1425. Gloss., in Wright, Voc., 194. Hic [? hec] pandoxatrix, bacstare. Ibid. (c. 1450), 215. Hec pistrix, a baxter.
a. 1500. Thersytes, in Four Old Plays (1848), 81. The backster of Balockburye with her baking pele.
b. without distinction of sex. Apparently not used in southern English after 1400.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Gen. xl. 1, 2. Tweʓen afyryde men … Egypta cynges byrle and his bæcistre … his byrlas oþer his bæcestran.
c. 1150. Gloss., in Wright, Voc., 93. Pistor, bakestre.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. Prol. 218. Baxsteres & brewesteres, and bocheres manye.
1460. Capgrave, Chron., 55. Plauctus … was compelled for to dwel with a baxter.
c. 1550. J. Balfour, Practicks (1754), 15. The Baxter, for his fie, fiue pundis.
1753. Scots Mag., April, 206/1. Mr. Robert Bartleman, baxter.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., vi. note. One in appearance a baxter, i.e. a baker’s lad, handed her out of her chair.
