Caitiff

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Caitiff \Cai"tiff\, a. [OE. caitif, cheitif, captive, miserable,
     OF. caitif, chaitif, captive, mean, wretched, F. ch['e]tif,
     fr. L. captivus captive, fr. capere to take, akin to E.
     heave. See {Heave}, and cf. {Captive}.]
     1. Captive; wretched; unfortunate. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. Base; wicked and mean; cowardly; despicable.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Arnold had sped his caitiff flight.   --W. Irving.
        [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Caitiff \Cai"tiff\, n.
     A captive; a prisoner. [Obs.]
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Avarice doth tyrannize over her caitiff and slave.
                                                    --Holland.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     2. A wretched or unfortunate man. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. A mean, despicable person; one whose character meanness
        and wickedness meet.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The deep-felt conviction of men that slavery breaks
           down the moral character . . . speaks out with . . .
           distinctness in the change of meaning which caitiff has
           undergone signifying as it now does, one of a base,
           abject disposition, while there was a time when it had
           nothing of this in it. --Trench.
           [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  caitiff
       adj : despicably mean and cowardly
       n : a cowardly and despicable person