caitiff的词源

英文词源

caitiff (adj.)

c. 1300, "wicked, base, cowardly," from Old North French caitive "captive, miserable" (Old French chaitif, 12c., Modern French chétif "puny, sickly, poor, weak"), from Latin captivum (see captive, which was a later, scholarly borrowing of the same word). In most Romance languages, it has acquired a pejorative sense.

caitiff (n.)

c. 1300, "wicked man, scoundrel," from Anglo-French caitif, noun use from Old North French caitive "captive, miserable" (see caitiff (adj.)). From mid-14c as "prisoner."

中文词源

caitiff：卑劣的

它和captive（俘虏）同源，俘虏地位很低下，由此引申出“卑劣的”。对于captive，词根-capt-指“抓”，它和caitiff相比发生了-p-音消失现象，类似有：compute（计算）—count（计算）、capital（资本）—cattle（牛）、hospital（医院）—hostel（招待所）。

该词的英语词源请访问趣词词源英文版：caitiff 词源，caitiff 含义。