niggard

niggard
nig•gard
[[t]ˈnɪg ərd[/t]] sometimes off. n.
1) off an extremely stingy person
2) niggardly; stingy
Etymology: 1325–75; ME nyggard=nig niggard (< Scand; cf. dial. Sw nygg; akin to OE hnēaw stingy) +-ard -ard usage: The words niggard and niggardly are sometimes perceived as insulting because they sound like the highly offensive word nigger However, niggard dates back to Middle English. The first element nygg-, nig- was borrowed from a Scandinavian source, and -ard is a pejorative suffix. The English word niggardly is a modern English formation from niggard Therefore the two words are not etymologically related to nigger See also nigger

From formal English to slang. 2014.

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  • Niggard — Nig gard (n[i^]g g[ e]rd), n. [Icel. hn[ o]ggr niggardly, stingy + ard; cf. Sw. njugg, AS. hne[ a]w.] A person meanly stingy and covetous; one who spends grudgingly; a stingy, parsimonious fellow; a miser. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] A penurious… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Niggard — Nig gard, a. Like a niggard; meanly covetous or parsimonious; niggardly; miserly; stingy. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Niggard — Nig gard, v. t. & i. To act the niggard toward; to be niggardly. [R.] Shak. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • niggard — index penurious Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • niggard — (n.) mean person, miser, late 14c., nygart, of uncertain origin. The suffix suggests French origin (Cf. ARD (Cf. ard)), but the root word is possibly from earlier nig stingy (c.1300), perhaps from a Scandinavian source related to O.N. hnèggr… …   Etymology dictionary

  • niggard — [nig′ərd] n. [ME negarde, prob. < Scand, as in ON hnøggr, Norw dial. nøgg, afraid, stingy < IE base * kneu (var. of * ken , to scrape) > OE hneaw, sparse, stingy] a stingy person; miser adj. stingy; miserly …   English World dictionary

  • niggard — 1. adjective Miserly or stingy. [H]is heart swelled within him, as he sat at the head of his own table, on the occasion of the house warming, dispensing with no niggard hand the gratuitous viands and unlimited beer, which were at once to… …   Wiktionary

  • niggard — I. noun Etymology: Middle English, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse hnøggr niggardly; akin to Old English hnēaw niggardly Date: 14th century a meanly covetous and stingy person ; miser • niggard adjective II. verb Date: circa 1600 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • niggard — /nig euhrd/, n. 1. an excessively parsimonious, miserly, or stingy person. adj. 2. niggardly; miserly; stingy. [1325 75; ME nyggard, equiv. to nig niggard ( < Scand; cf. dial. Sw nygg; akin to OE hneaw stingy) + ARD] * * * …   Universalium

  • niggard — /ˈnɪgəd / (say niguhd) Rare –noun 1. an excessively parsimonious or stingy person. –adjective 2. niggardly. {Middle English, from (obsolete) nig niggard (from Scandinavian; compare Swedish dialect nygg) + ard} …  

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