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Niggardly (noun: niggard) is an adjective meaning 'stingy' or 'miserly'. Niggard (14th C) is derived from the Middle English word meaning 'stingy,' nigon, which is probably derived from two other words also meaning 'stingy,' Old Norse hnǫggr and Old English hnēaw.
: a meanly covetous and stingy person : miser. niggard adjective. Usage of Niggard and Niggardly. The words niggard and niggardly are etymologically unrelated to the highly offensive and inflammatory racial slur euphemistically referred to as the N-word, despite the words' visual and auditory resemblance to it.
Niggard definition: an excessively parsimonious, miserly, or stingy person.. See examples of NIGGARD used in a sentence.
Definitions of niggard. noun. a selfish person who is unwilling to give or spend. synonyms: churl, scrooge, skinflint. see more.
Jun 2, 2024 · A miser or stingy person; a skinflint . Synonyms: see Thesaurus: miser. A false bottom in a grate, used for saving fuel.
Define niggard. niggard synonyms, niggard pronunciation, niggard translation, English dictionary definition of niggard. n. A stingy, grasping person; a miser. adj. Stingy; miserly.
noun. 1. an excessively parsimonious, miserly, or stingy person. adjective. 2. niggardly; miserly; stingy. Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC.
There are nine meanings listed in OED's entry for the word niggard, one of which is labelled obsolete, and one of which is considered derogatory. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
OED's earliest evidence for niggard is from 1596, in Raigne of Edward III. It is also recorded as a noun from the Middle English period (1150—1500). niggard is formed within English, by conversion.
nig•gard (nig′ ərd), n. an excessively parsimonious, miserly, or stingy person. adj. niggardly; miserly; stingy. Scandinavian; compare dialect, dialectal Swedish nygg; akin to Old English hnēaw stingy) + - ard. Middle English nyggard, equivalent. to nig niggard (1325–75.
