caddie

noun

cad·​die ˈka-dē 

variants or caddy

plural caddies

1

Scotland : one who waits about for odd jobs

2

a

: one who assists a golfer especially by carrying the clubs

b

: a wheeled device for conveying things not readily carried by hand

a luggage caddie

caddie intransitive verb

or caddy

Did you know?

In Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries, a person who made a living by doing odd jobs was called a cawdy or caddie. The word comes from the French word cadet, which came into English in the 17th century. The chief meaning of cadet in both French and English is “a student military officer.” The caddies formed organized groups, and it may be that the military structure of the group suggested the name. Some caddies lived near universities and took jobs working for students. Other caddies found jobs carrying golf clubs. As the popularity of the game grew, so did use of the term caddie for one who carries a golfer's clubs.

Examples of caddie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Using plant caddies with wheels can make pots easy to move around depending on weather and light requirements. —Suzanne S. Brown, The Denver Post, 14 May 2024

This time, the champion tapped his longtime caddie Ted Scott to share the historic moment with him. —Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 13 May 2024

The top caddies know what is needed in a game where so much depends on confidence and provide it. —Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 9 May 2024

Keeping in the sports theme, Quaid also draws his car from the 2023 golf film The Long Game, about a group of Mexican-American golf caddies in Texas in the 1950s who were banned from playing golf at an all-white Texas country club. —Tabitha Parent, Peoplemag, 3 May 2024

The film tells the true story of a group of Mexican American caddies who created their own golf course in the South Texas brush in 1955 and two years later won the Texas State High School Golf Championship. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 15 Apr. 2024

One of the many traditions that makes the Masters unique is the golfers and their caddies have the course to themselves; the media don’t get inside-the-ropes access. —Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024

After checking his score, the American stands by – caddie in tow – as a rules official logs his scores into a computer in case an inconsistency is flagged. —Jack Bantock, CNN, 20 Feb. 2024

While his frequent caddie and dad was not in attendance, Charlie was accompanied by his mom. —Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French cadet military cadet

First Known Use

circa 1730, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

caddie

noun

cad·​die

variants or caddy

ˈkad-ē 

plural caddies

: a person who carries a golfer's clubs

caddie verb

or caddy

Etymology

from Scottish caddie, cawdy "one who works at odd jobs," from French cadet "one training for military service," derived from Latin caput "head" — related to cad, cadet, captain

Word Origin

In Scotland in the 18th and 19th centuries, a person who made a living by doing odd jobs was called a cawdy or caddie. The word caddie comes from the French word cadet, which was borrowed into English in the 17th century. The chief meaning of cadet in both French and English is "a student military officer." The first Scottish caddies formed an organized group, and it may be that the somewhat military structure of the group suggested the name. These caddies looked for odd jobs wherever they could, and after a time the name spread from Scotland into England. Some of the caddies lived near the English universities and took jobs working for students. With scorn the students referred to the lower-class caddies as cads. Then they used the term for any person they thought of as having poor manners. That is how we get our modern English word cad for "a rude and selfish man." Other caddies found jobs carrying clubs for players of golf, which began in Scotland. As the popularity of golf grew, so did use of caddie for one who carries a golfer's clubs.