The Tea Caddy Is Named After a Malay Weight
A caddy carries a golfer's clubs, or holds tea. The two senses are unrelated, and the tea one comes from a unit of measurement.
A caddy carries a golfer's clubs, and a tea caddy is a small box for tea leaves. The two are unrelated words that collided. The container is from Malay *kati*, a unit of weight of about 600 grams, the amount tea was traded in; the golfer's helper is from French *cadet*, a younger son. The same French word also gave English *cadet* itself and, through Scots, *cad*.
- A golfer's assistant. *He caddied for her.*
- A small container. *A tea caddy.*
- An organiser. *A shower caddy.*
- Cadet — from the same French root as the golf sense. *An army cadet.*
- Kati — the Malay weight behind the tea box. *One kati of tea.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | caddy | A young caddy. |
| Plural | caddies | Two caddies. |
| Verb | caddy | To caddy for someone. |
| Past | caddied | He caddied all summer. |
| Related | cadet | A cadet officer. |
- His caddy read the green for him.Golf.
- A silver tea caddy.Container.
- Kati was a trading weight of about 600 grams.Etymology.
One French word, three English ones
- Cadet — a younger son, then a trainee officer
- Caddy — via Scots, an errand boy, then a golfer's helper
- Cad — a shortened form that turned insulting
- All three go back to Gascon *capdet*, a little chief
- Tea caddy is unrelated, from Malay *kati*
The golf sense is from French *cadet* through Scots *cawdy*, an errand boy. The container is from Malay *kati*, a unit of weight, recorded in English from the 1790s.
Why is a tea box called a caddy?
From the Malay kati, a weight of about 600 grams in which tea was sold. The box took the name of the quantity.
Are caddy and cadet related?
The golf sense is. Both come from a French word for a younger son. The tea caddy is a separate word.