caitiff
English
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caitiff
- /ˈkeɪtɪf/
Where it comes from
From Middle English caitif, from Anglo-Norman caitif (“captive”), akin to Old French chaitif (French chétif) and Middle Dutch keytyf, from a Vulgar Latin *cactīvus alteration via Gaulish influence from Latin captīvus (“captive”); compare Italian cattivo (“bad, wicked”). Doublet of captive.
noun caitiffs · catif · cative · catyve · caitive · caiteff
- A base or despicable person; a wretch. "How now, you scullions and cullions: bring hither a pair of cow's hooves to out face this contumelious caitiff."
- A captive or prisoner, particularly a galley slave.
- A villain, a coward or wretch. (Aaron Burr and Andrew Jackson ride together in Tennessee; Burr narrates): Jackson shouted at me his view of the duel. "Never read such a damned lot of nonsense as the press has been writing! All that hypocritical caterwauling for that Creole bastard (referring to Alexander Hamilton) who fought you
adjective more caitiff · most caitiff · catif · cative · catyve · caitive
- Especially despicable; cowardly Beshrew those caitiff scouts that conspired to sully his honest name by such an imputation!
Talk about this word "caitiff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/caitiff. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026. caitiff. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/caitiff "caitiff." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 5, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/caitiff.Cite this
@misc{caitiff_2026,
title = {caitiff},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/caitiff},
urldate = {2026-11-05}
}
