Military ‘cadet’ and a golf ‘caddie’?; ‘madder plant’

http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | Dear Editor:

I read that "caddie'' comes from "cadet,'' and I would like to know more about the history of the word. Is there a connection between the military "cadet'' and a golf "caddie''?

_J.P., Milton, Mass.

Dear J.P.:

When the English adopted the French word "cadet'' in the 17th century, they used it the way the French did - both for a "younger son'' and for a young gentleman in training for military service (since these were generally "younger sons,'' in need of a career). The Scots, pronouncing "cadet'' somewhat in the French way, "CAH-day,'' but spelling it "cawdie,'' "cadee,'' or "caddie,'' also began using the word in the mid-17th century to refer to a military trainee.

In 18th-century Scotland a gang of young street people banded together under the leadership of the "Constable of the Cawdies.'' It is supposed they took their name, and to some degree ran their organization, in imitation of the more respectable "caddies'' in military service. Despite their unseemly appearance, they were actually on the lookout for whatever kind of employment came their way - odd jobs of any sort. And they usually turned out to be trustworthy and useful. As a result, in Scottish English "caddie'' eventually came to mean "a person who waits about for odd jobs.''

One way of putting a caddie to work was to have him haul a golfer's clubs around the course. Not surprisingly, the earliest examples of "caddie'' (also spelled "caddy'') meaning specifically "golfer's assistant'' first appeared in print in Scottish sources, but not until the mid-19th century. Chances are, given Scotland's obsession with golf, this specific use had become common in speech some time before that.

One story that crops up intermittently is that Mary, Queen of Scots, an avid player herself, was responsible for the use of "caddie'' in golf, but that doesn't quite jibe with the recorded history of the word. Supposedly Mary had a "caddie'' in the form of an army cadet who carried her clubs. But Her Highness was playing golf in the mid 1500s, when "cadet'' was not a word known in English, nor "caddie'' in Scottish English. Mary may have used the word "cadet'' in France (she was brought up in the French court), but it's hardly likely that she was playing golf there; she most likely took it up later, when she returned to Scotland.

Dear Editor:

I want to know the origin of the name of the madder plant. Is the name an indication that it can cause the brain to be affected? I asked a botanist who didn't know the origin of the name, but said that the madder plant has been called that for centuries.

_P.L., Cloquet, Minn.

Dear P.L.:

It makes sense to suppose that the name of the "madder'' plant may have some connection with "madness.'' A similar explanation lies behind the origin of the plant name "locoweed,'' which derives from the name of the condition called "locoism'' that affects cattle when they eat the plant. The condition affects the muscle control of the cattle, causing them to act erratically. "Locoism'' comes from the Spanish Mexican word "loco,'' meaning "crazy,'' which describes the behavior, if not the actual condition, of the cattle. (Incidentally, locoism is entirely unrelated to mad cow disease.) While it may seem that a similar explanation could be behind the origin of the madder plant's name, though, the truth is that there is no such relationship.

The madder plant does not cause madness or anything like it. Its roots were used for red dyes from Egyptian times up until the 19th century, when a synthetic substitute was developed. Far from causing illness, the madder plant was used medicinally from ancient to medieval times. Its effect of causing the bones of animals that eat it to turn red also proved helpful to 19th-century biologists studying bone and cell development.

There is in fact no linguistic connection between "madder'' the plant and "mad'' the adjective. Your botanist is correct that the plant name "madder'' is centuries old - it dates back to the 12th century. In Old English it appears as "maedere'' and is related to Old High German "matara.'' None of these words mean anything other than "madder plant.'' On the other hand, the adjective "mad'' derives from the Old English verb "gemaedan,'' meaning "to madden,'' which is akin to Old High German "gimeit,'' meaning "foolish, crazy.''

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