Where does “caitiff” come from?
Caitiff comes from Middle English caitif, from Anglo-Norman caitif, from Latin captivus meaning "taken captive," derived from capio meaning "to take," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European keh₂p-.
caitiff (English): A base or despicable person; a wretch; A captive...
Definitions
- A base or despicable person; a wretch; A captive...
Ancestry of “caitiff”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | caitif | A captive, prisoner or hostage; A miser, wretch,... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | caitif | captive; captive, prisoner |
| 3 | Vulgar Latin | cactivus | — |
| 4 | Latin | captīvus | a captive, a prisoner |
| 5 | Latin | captus | captured, having been captured, seized, having... |
| 6 | Latin | capiō | to take, to capture, to catch, to seize, to take captive, to storm |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kapiō | take |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | kapjō | take, seize |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂pyéti | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂p- | to seize, grab; to seize; take up; lift; to take,... |