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You are here: Home / Language / Where Did the Word “Caddy” Come From For a Golf Assistant and How Did the Term Originate?

Where Did the Word “Caddy” Come From For a Golf Assistant and How Did the Term Originate?

February 27, 2020 by Karen Hill

In medieval France the first-born sons of nobility were known as the “caput,” or head, of the family.

While the younger, less valuable boys were called “capdets,” or little heads, and were often sent to the military to train as officers.

In English, “capdets” became “cadets,” which the Scots abbreviated to “cads” or “caddies,” meaning any useless street kid who could be hired for the day to carry around a bag of golf clubs.

Golf assistants are still commonly called “caddies”.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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