What does caddie mean?
A caddie is a person who accompanies a golfer during a round, carrying the bag of clubs and typically offering practical advice on club selection, distances, course conditions, and strategy. Experienced caddies, especially those working with professional players, can have a significant influence on performance, and the role is an established profession at golf clubs and on professional tours. The word also functions as a verb meaning to perform that work, as in "he caddied through college." Both the noun and verb are informal-to-neutral in tone and almost exclusively tied to golf. The spelling "caddy" is an accepted variant for the golf sense, though it more commonly denotes a small container for tea leaves, so writers wishing to avoid confusion generally prefer "caddie" for the person. Etymologically, "caddie" derives from the French "cadet," which also gives us "cadet" and "cad" — making the golf assistant and the junior military officer unlikely linguistic relatives.
A person who carries a golfer's clubs and provides advice and assistance during a round.
"Their caddie handed her the putter without a word being spoken."
Variant spelling "caddy" is common but "caddie" distinguishes the person from a tea caddy.
To act as a caddie; to carry a golfer's clubs and assist them during a round.
"She caddied for him during the final round of the championship."
Standard plural, formed by adding -es.
"The club employs twelve caddies during peak season."
The golf caddie and the military cadet are long-lost cousins — both words trace back to the same French root.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of caddie
The word comes from the French "cadet," meaning a younger son or junior officer, which entered Scots in the 17th century as "cawdy" or "cadie," referring to an errand boy or odd-jobber. From Scotland, where golf was flourishing, the term came to denote someone who carried a player's clubs. English "cadet" and the slang "cad" share the same French ancestor.
Related word forms
How caddie is actually used
Both spellings "caddie" and "caddy" are accepted for the golf sense, though "caddie" is preferred by many dictionaries for the person and "caddy" for the tea container. The verb form conjugates as caddie–caddied–caddying. The word is informal-to-neutral in register and strongly associated with golf.
Easily confused with caddie
"Caddy" most often means a small container for storing tea, while "caddie" refers to a person who carries golfers' clubs; the two spellings overlap in some dictionaries but this distinction is the conventional one.