The word "光棍节" is formed by directly combining "光棍", a slang term for an unmarried man that literally translates to "bare stick", with "节", meaning festival or holiday, to designate a day celebrating singlehood; the choice of November 11th (11/11) as the date reinforces this formation, as the numeral ones visually resemble the "bare sticks" evoked by the term "光棍".