handicap English · revision 1971

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈhændikæp/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It comes from ''hand in cap'', the name of an old wagering game^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) in which forfeit money was held in a cap.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==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).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==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.^(Etymonline) The custom, though not the name, is found as early as ''Piers Plowman''.^(Etymonline) The principle of an umpire fixing the odds was applied to horse racing in the ''Handy-Cap Match'' of 1754,^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) where a superior horse had to carry extra weight.^(Etymonline) This weight was the handicap, and the word came to mean any advantage or disadvantage imposed to equalize contestants (1883),^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) then any hindrance (1890).^(Barnhart 1995) ''Handicapped'' in the sense “disabled” is recorded from 1915,^(Barnhart 1995) and the noun is also used for a physical or mental disability.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU) Merriam-Webster notes that this use can be offensive.^(MW Collegiate)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * ?a1653 – the game ''hand in cap''.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1649 – verb, to gain as in a game of chance (obsolete).^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1754 – ''handicap match'', a horse race.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1852 – verb, to equalize competitors' chances.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(MW Collegiate)

+ * 1864 – verb, to put at a disadvantage.^(OED 1989)^(Barnhart 1995)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1890 – an encumbrance or disability.^(Barnhart 1995)

+ * 1915 – ''handicapped'', disabled.^(Barnhart 1995)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A race or contest in which competitors are given advantages or disadvantages to equalize their chances.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # The advantage or penalty itself, such as extra weight or points.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # A disadvantage or hindrance that makes success harder.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # ''(sometimes offensive)'' A physical or mental disability.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To assign a handicap to a contestant.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To put at a disadvantage; to hinder.^(AHD)^(MW Collegiate)^(RHWU)^(Wiktionary)

+ # To estimate the chances of contestants, as in betting.^(MW Collegiate)^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[handicapper]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[handicapped]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}