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, adverb

Example sentences from the Web for niggard

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