caitiff
(adjective) despicably mean and cowardly
caitiff
(noun) a cowardly and despicable person
Source: WordNet® 3.1
caitiff (plural caitiffs)
A base or despicable person; a wretch
(obsolete) A captive or prisoner, particularly a galley slave
(archaic) A villain, a coward or wretch
caitiff (comparative more caitiff, superlative most caitiff)
Especially despicable; cowardly
Source: Wiktionary
Cai"tiff, a. Etym: [OE. caitif, cheitif, captive, miserable, OF. caitif, chaitif, captive, mean, wretched, F. chétif, fr. L. captivus captive, fr. capere to take, akin to E. heave. See Heave, and cf. Captive.]
1. Captive; wretched; unfortunate. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. Base; wicked and mean; cowardly; despicable. Arnold had sped his caitiff flight. W. Irving.
Cai"tiff, n.
Definition: A captive; a prisoner. [Obs.] Avarice doth tyrannize over her caitiff and slave. Holland.
2. A wretched or unfortunate man. [Obs.] Chaucer.
3. A mean, despicable person; one whose character meanness and wickedness meet.
Note: The deep-felt conviction of men that slavery breaks down the moral character . . . speaks out with . . . distinctness in the change of meaning which caitiff has undergone signifying as it now does, one of a base, abject disposition, while there was a time when it had nothing of this in it. Trench.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
28 April 2024
(adjective) of or relating to an inheritable character that is controlled by several genes at once; of or related to or determined by polygenes
Espresso is both a coffee beverage and a brewing method that originated in Italy. When making an espresso, a small amount of nearly boiling water under pressure forces through finely-ground coffee beans. It has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages. Its smaller serving size will take three shots to equal a mug of standard brewed coffee.
