caitiff

caitiff
1. noun /ˈkeɪtɪf/
a) A base or despicable person; a wretch

For, certes, lord, þer is noon of us alle / Þat she ne haþ been a duchesse or a queene. / Now be we caytyves, as it is wel seene, / Þanked be Fortune and hire false wheel

b) a villain, a coward or wretch

‘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.’

2. adjective /ˈkeɪtɪf/
Especially despicable; cowardly

Beshrew those caitiff scouts that conspired to sully his honest name by such an imputation!


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  • Caitiff — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Los Caitiff, en el universo ficticio del juego de rol de Vampiro: La Mascarada, son vampiros de sangre tan débil que no se puede decir que pertenezcan a ningún clan. No se hallan en ellos las disciplinas… …   Wikipedia Español

  • 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 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.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • caitiff — I adjective abject, afraid, base, baseborn, brutish, churlish, craven, currish, dastardly, despicable, faint hearted, fear stricken, ignoble, ignominious, low, lowborn, mean spirited, of low extraction, of low origin, of mean extraction, of mean… …   Law dictionary

  • caitiff — c.1300, from O.N.Fr. caitive captive, miserable (O.Fr. chatif, 12c., Mod.Fr. chétif puny, sickly, poor, weak ), from L. captivum (see CAPTIVE (Cf. captive), which was a later, scholarly borrowing of the same word). In most Romance languages, it… …   Etymology dictionary

  • caitiff — [kāt′if] n. [ME < OFr caitif, a captive, wretched man < L captivus, CAPTIVE] a mean, evil, or cowardly person adj. evil, mean, or cowardly …   English World dictionary

  • caitiff — adjective Etymology: Middle English caitif, from Anglo French caitif, chaitif wretched, despicable, from Latin captivus captive Date: 14th century cowardly, despicable • caitiff noun …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Caitiff — A prisoner; a cowardly, wicked person. [< OldFr. caitiff = captive < Lat. captivus = captive] …   Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases

  • caitiff — /kay tif/, Archaic. n. 1. a base, despicable person. adj. 2. base; despicable. [1250 1300; ME caitif < AF < L captivus CAPTIVE] * * * …   Universalium

  • Caitiff — Los Caittif, en el universo ficticio del juego de rol de , son chiquillos sin sire (bien porque fueron abandonan o porque los sire fueron destruidos). Muchas veces, en momentos concretos, un vampiro crea chiquillos sin tener permiso violando por… …   Enciclopedia Universal

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