caitiff

adjective

cai·​tiff ˈkā-təf 

: cowardly, despicable

caitiff noun

Did you know?

Caitiff is pretty rare in contemporary use, but it has functioned since the 14th century as an adjective and also as a noun meaning "a base, cowardly, or despicable person" (as in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure: "O thou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wicked Hannibal!"). Both the adjective and the noun evolved from the Anglo-French adjective caitif, meaning "wretched, despicable." The French word in turn derived from the Latin captivus, meaning "captive"-the shift from "captive" to "wretched" being perhaps prompted by the perception of captives as wretched and worthy of scorn.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English caitif, from Anglo-French caitif, chaitif wretched, despicable, from Latin captivus captive

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

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