Medieval · insult · noun (also adjective)
Caitiff
KAY-tif /ˈkeɪtɪf/pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recordedc. 1300
A base, cowardly or despicable person; a wretch. It comes from the same Latin word as 'captive' (captivus): the sense slid from 'prisoner' to 'miserable wretch' to 'villain'.
Where it was first recorded
Dated c. 1300 by Etymonline, which does not name the work; the current OED dates its earliest evidence, the English Metrical Homilies, to around 1325.
Also spelled: caitif, caitive, caytiffe, caytive, catif
In its own time
O thou caitiff! O thou varlet! O thou wicked Hannibal!
Today
Modern exampleThe caitiff who took my parking space pretended not to see me waving.
Harmless and theatrical — a grand, old-fashioned word for a coward or villain.
Questions
What does caitiff mean?
A base, cowardly or despicable person; a wretch. It comes from the same Latin word as 'captive' (captivus): the sense slid from 'prisoner' to 'miserable wretch' to 'villain'.
When was caitiff first used?
It is first recorded c. 1300 — Dated c. 1300 by Etymonline, which does not name the work; the current OED dates its earliest evidence, the English Metrical Homilies, to around 1325.
Can you still use caitiff today?
Harmless and theatrical — a grand, old-fashioned word for a coward or villain.
Sources
- caitiff — Etymonline (Online Etymology Dictionary)
- caitiff — Merriam-Webster
- caitiff — Wiktionary
- The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Measure for Measure) — Project Gutenberg
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above