Definitions for caitiff
ˈkeɪ tɪfcaitiff

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. caitiffadjective

   a cowardly and despicable person

2. caitiffadjective

   despicably mean and cowardly

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. caitiffnoun

   A base or despicable person; a wretch

2. caitiffnoun

   a captive or prisoner, particularly a galley slave

3. caitiffnoun

   a villain, a coward or wretch

4. caitiffadjective

   Especially despicable; cowardly

5. Etymology: Old French caitif ‘captive’, a varient of chaitif (French chétif), from a Proto-Romance alteration of Latin captivus ‘captive’. Compare Italian cattivo, "bad, wicked."

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Caitiffnoun

   A mean villain; a despicable knave.

   Etymology: cattivo, Ital. a slave; whence it came to signify a bad man, with some implication of meanness; as knave in English, and fur in Latin; so certainly does slavery destroy virtue. Ἡμισυ τῆς ἀϱετῆς ἀϖοάινυται δούλιον ἤμαϱ. A slave and a scoundrel are signified by the same words in many languages.

   Vile caitiff, vassal of dread and despair,
   Unworthy of the common breathed air;
   Why livest thou, dead dog, a longer day,
   And dost not unto death thyself prepare? Fairy Queen, b. ii.

   ’Tis not impossible
   But one, the wicked’st caitiff on the ground,
   May seem as shy, as grave, as just, as absolute,
   As Angelo. William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure.

   The wretched caitiff, all alone,
   As he believ’d, began to moan,
   And tell his story to himself. Hudibras, p. iii. c. iii.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. caitiff

   A caitiff is a cowardly and despicable person, often considered contemptible or mean-spirited. The term originates from the Old French term "caitif", meaning captive or miserable. It is often used in literature or historical contexts.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Caitiffadjective

   captive; wretched; unfortunate

2. Caitiffadjective

   base; wicked and mean; cowardly; despicable

3. Caitiffnoun

   a captive; a prisoner

4. Caitiffnoun

   a wretched or unfortunate man

5. Caitiffnoun

   a mean, despicable person; one whose character meanness and wickedness meet

6. Etymology: [OE. caitif, cheitif, captive, miserable, OF. caitif, chaitif, captive, mean, wretched, F. chtif, fr. L. captivus captive, fr. capere to take, akin to E. heave. See Heave, and cf. Captive.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Caitiff

   kā′tif, n. a mean despicable fellow.—adj. mean, base.—n. Cai′tive (Spens.), captive, subject. [O. Fr. caitif, (Fr. chétif)—L. captivus, a captive—cap-ĕre, to take.]

Etymology and OriginsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Caitiff

   An old term of contempt for a despicable person, derived from the Latin captivis, a captive, slave.

How to pronounce caitiff?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say caitiff in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of caitiff in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of caitiff in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=caitiff
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Caitiff
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=caitiff
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caitiff
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=caitiff
7. ^ Etymology and Origins
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/54657/pg54657-images.html#:~:text=caitiff