# caddie

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkædi/ · frequency rank #46,964

## Definitions
1. Synonym of cadet (“a gentleman (often a younger son from a noble family) who joined the military without a commission as a career”).
2. A young man; a boy, a lad; specifically (derogatory), one regarded as of low social status; a ragamuffin.
3. A person engaged to run errands such as carrying goods and messages; a commissionaire, an errand boy or errand girl, a gofer; specifically, a member of an organized group of such persons working in large Scottish cities and towns in the early 18th century.
4. A person hired to assist a golfer by carrying their golf clubs and providing advice.

## Etymology
The noun is borrowed from Scots caddie (“military cadet; young man; ragamuffin; person engaged to run errands; person hired to assist a golfer”), from French cadet (“army cadet; younger sibling”), from capdet (“captain; chief”) (Gascony, archaic), from Late Latin capitettum, from Latin caput (“head”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“head”). Doublet of cadel, cadet, capital, capitellum, and caudillo.
The verb is derived from the noun.

## Easily confused with
- **cadre** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caddie-vs-cadre)
- **caddy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caddie-vs-caddy)
- **Cardi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caddie-vs-cardi)
- **Cadiz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caddie-vs-cadiz)
- **candle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caddie-vs-candle)
- **Carrie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caddie-vs-carrie)
- **candid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caddie-vs-candid)
- **cuddle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caddie-vs-cuddle)
- **Cassie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caddie-vs-cassie)
- **Callie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caddie-vs-callie)
- **Candice** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caddie-vs-candice)
- **candied** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caddie-vs-candied)
- **cabbie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cabbie-vs-caddie)

## Common misspellings (6)
`acddie`, `caddei`, `cadide`, `cadie`, `ccaddie`, `cdadie`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/caddie