Handicap
/ˈhændiˌkæp/noun
A disadvantage or condition that makes something more difficult; also, in sports, a system that levels competition.
Did you know?The modern idea of a “handicap” grew out of a 17th-century English game called hand-in-cap, where two parties and an umpire used a cap to equalize trades or bets before the word shifted into racing and then into general disadvantage.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
hand
“The hand, the human hand; also skill or agency.”
Old English
OE
cæp
“A cap or covering for the head.”
17th Century
English
hand-in-cap
“A game or betting arrangement in which participants placed money in a cap for an umpire to judge an equal exchange.”
18th Century
English
handicap
“A racing term for an imposed disadvantage meant to equalize chances between competitors.”
19th Century
English
handicap
“A disadvantage or impediment in a broader, general sense.”