niggard
[ nig-erd ]
/ ˈnɪg ərd /
noun
an excessively parsimonious, miserly, or stingy person.
adjective
niggardly; miserly; stingy.
Origin of niggard
1325–75; Middle English
nyggard, equivalent to
nig niggard (< Scandinavian; compare dialectal Swedish
nygg; akin to Old English
hnēaw stingy) +
-ard
usage note for niggard
The words
niggard and
niggardly are sometimes misinterpreted as racial slurs 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 these two words are not etymologically related to
nigger.
OTHER WORDS FROM niggard
un·nig·gard, adjective un·nig·gard·ly, adverbWords nearby niggard
niger-kordofanian,
nigeria,
nigerian,
nigerien,
nigga,
niggard,
niggardly,
nigger,
nigger heaven,
nigger of the narcissus, the,
niggle
Example sentences from the Web for niggard
Autant dpend chiche que large, et la fin plus davantage—Niggard spends as much as generous, and in the end a good deal more.
Niggard, nig′ard, n. a person who is unwilling to spend or give away: a miser.
British Dictionary definitions for niggard
niggard
/ (ˈnɪɡəd) /
noun
a stingy person
adjective
archaic
miserly
Word Origin for niggard
C14: perhaps of Scandinavian origin; related to Swedish dialect
nygg and Old English
hnēaw stingy