caitiff

cai·tiff

C c

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [key-tif]
- /ˈkeɪ tɪf/
- /ˈkeɪ.tɪf/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [key-tif]
- /ˈkeɪ tɪf/

Definitions of caitiff word

noun caitiff a cowardly or base person 3
adjective caitiff cowardly; base 3
noun caitiff a mean, evil, or cowardly person 3
adjective caitiff evil, mean, or cowardly 3
noun caitiff a base, despicable person. 1
adjective caitiff base; despicable. 1

See all 11 definitions of caitiff

Information block about the term

Origin of caitiff

First appearance:

before 1250

One of the 11% oldest English words

1250-1300; Middle English caitif < Anglo-French < Latin captīvus captive

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Caitiff

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Caitiff

caitiff popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 61% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 59% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

caitiff usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for caitiff

noun caitiff

dastard — a contemptible sneaking coward
rat — any of several long-tailed rodents of the family Muridae, of the genus Rattus and related genera, distinguished from the mouse by being larger.
scoundrel — an unprincipled, dishonorable person; villain.
louse — any small, wingless insect of the order Anoplura (sucking louse) parasitic on humans and other mammals and having mouthparts adapted for sucking, as Pediculus humanus (body louse or head louse) and Phthirius pubis (crab louse or pubic louse)
coward — If you call someone a coward, you disapprove of them because they are easily frightened and avoid dangerous or difficult situations.

adjective caitiff

yellow-bellied — having a yellow abdomen or underside.
foul — grossly offensive to the senses; disgustingly loathsome; noisome: a foul smell.
chicken-hearted — easily frightened; cowardly
weak-kneed — yielding readily to opposition, pressure, intimidation, etc.
infamous — having an extremely bad reputation: an infamous city.

All 12 Synonyms of caitiff