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handicap

Etymology and origin of the English word handicap

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈhændikæp/[1]

Etymology

It comes from hand in cap, the name of an old wagering game[2][3][4][5][6] in which forfeit money was held in a cap.[2][3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A game of chance in which one person challenged an article belonging to another and an umpire fixed the odds (probably before 1653).[7][3]

Semantic evolution

In the game, two players put their hands holding forfeit money into a cap while an umpire announced the odds; drawing out a full or empty hand showed whether they accepted.[4] The custom, though not the name, is found as early as Piers Plowman.[4] The principle of an umpire fixing the odds was applied to horse racing in the Handy-Cap Match of 1754,[3][4][7] where a superior horse had to carry extra weight.[4] This weight was the handicap, and the word came to mean any advantage or disadvantage imposed to equalize contestants (1883),[7][4] then any hindrance (1890).[3] Handicapped in the sense “disabled” is recorded from 1915,[3] and the noun is also used for a physical or mental disability.[2][5][6] Merriam-Webster notes that this use can be offensive.[5]

Timeline

  • ?a1653 – the game hand in cap.[7][3]
  • 1649 – verb, to gain as in a game of chance (obsolete).[7][3]
  • 1754 – handicap match, a horse race.[7][3][4][5]
  • 1852 – verb, to equalize competitors' chances.[7][3][5]
  • 1864 – verb, to put at a disadvantage.[7][3][4]
  • 1890 – an encumbrance or disability.[3]
  • 1915 – handicapped, disabled.[3]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A race or contest in which competitors are given advantages or disadvantages to equalize their chances.
  2. The advantage or penalty itself, such as extra weight or points.
  3. A disadvantage or hindrance that makes success harder.
  4. (sometimes offensive) A physical or mental disability.

Verb

  1. To assign a handicap to a contestant.
  2. To put at a disadvantage; to hinder.
  3. To estimate the chances of contestants, as in betting.

Word family

  • handicapper
  • handicapped

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Handicap.” Etymologically, 15 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/handicap. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·