NOUN (1)

1. a cowardly and despicable person;


ADJECTIVE (1)

1. despicably mean and cowardly;

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Caitiff \Cai"tiff\, a. [OE. caitif, cheitif, captive, miserable,
   OF. caitif, chaitif, captive, mean, wretched, F. ch['e]tif,
   fr. L. captivus captive, fr. capere to take, akin to E.
   heave. See Heave, and cf. Captive.]
   1. Captive; wretched; unfortunate. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Base; wicked and mean; cowardly; despicable.
      [1913 Webster]

            Arnold had sped his caitiff flight.   --W. Irving.
      [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Caitiff \Cai"tiff\, n.
   A captive; a prisoner. [Obs.]
   [1913 Webster]

         Avarice doth tyrannize over her caitiff and slave.
                                                  --Holland.
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   2. A wretched or unfortunate man. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
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   3. A mean, despicable person; one whose character meanness
      and wickedness meet.
      [1913 Webster]

   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.
         [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

caitiff
    adj 1: despicably mean and cowardly
    n 1: a cowardly and despicable person