caitiff

---

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkeɪtɪf/

Noun

caitiff (plural caitiffs)

1. A base or despicable person; a wretch
2. (obsolete) A captive or prisoner, particularly a galley slave
3. (archaic) A villain, a coward or wretch
   • 1989, Anthony Burgess, The Devil's Mode

     ‘There are plenty of Huns who have defected to the Romans, seeking gold and a quiet life. One of my first tasks as paramount chief is to bring those caitiffs back and crucify them.’

Adjective

caitiff

1. Especially despicable; cowardly
   • 1867, Dante Alighieri, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (translator), The Divine Comedy,

     Commingled are they with that caitiff choir

     Of Angels, who have not rebellious been,

     Nor faithful were to God, but were for self.

     Hath Faith become a caitiff knave,

     And Selfhood turned into a slave

     To work in Mammon’s cave,

     Fair Lady?

---

This text is extracted from the Wiktionary and it is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license | Terms and conditions | Privacy policy 0.004