I know NS for lights that don't throw shadows but what does "Bounce" mean when it refers to lights?

nothing technical you could tick a checkbox for anyway

what i figure from the name, it means they're meant for places where no direct, but reflected ("bounced") light would hit.

they all have pretty low fade values, which speaks for this theory.

but then, english is not my native language and for all i know, "bounce" could just as well be a common technical term in, dunno, stage lighting i have no idea about (i mean, it took me 30y to figure out that a "super trooper" is a particular stage light ), so rather not place bets on this info ,-)

Add to this that bounce light do not flicker nor pulse, the others do.

s7o is correct. Bounce lights were designed to be used to fake "radiosity", or what happens when light bounces off a surface.

Imagine you are in a room, with perfectly white walls, and a bright red floor. There are no lights in this room whatsoever. Now take a perfectly white flashlight, and shine it straight at the floor. The light bouncing up would be tinted red, due to the floor. Even plces your flashlight is not aimed at would be lit up with bouncing red light. This is radiosity.

This is usually used for very dimly lighting areas around skylights, or other larger fixtures. It can really enhance the look of a lighting piece!