See Also: caitiff(dictionary)

caitiff (iou)



caitiff noun & adjective. arch. ME.
[Old French caitif captive, var. of chaitif (mod. chetif wretched) from Proto-Romance alt. of Latin captivus CAPTIVE adjective.]
A. noun.
a. A captive, a prisoner. ME-E17.
b. A wretched or miserable person, a poor wretch. LME-L17.
A base, despicable wretch; a villain; a coward. ME.
b. adjective.
Wretched, miserable. ME-L16.
Vile, base, wicked; worthless; cowardly. ME.