niggard

Definition from Wiktionary, a free dictionary

Contents 1 English 1.1 Etymology 1.2 Adjective 1.3 Noun 1.3.1 Usage notes 1.3.2 Synonyms 1.3.3 Derived terms 1.4 Anagrams

[edit] English

[edit] Etymology

Derived from the Old Norse verb nigla, meaning "to fuss about small matters". Cognate to the English word "niggle", which retains the original Norse meaning.

[edit] Adjective

niggard (not comparable)

1. Miserly or stingy.
   • 1852 CE: William and Robert Chambers, Chambers' Edinburgh Journal

     [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 symbolise and inaugurate the hospitality of his mansion.

[edit] Noun

niggard (plural niggards)

1. A miser or stingy person; a skinflint.
   • 1618: John Taylor, The Pennyles Pilgrimage OR The Money-lesse Perambulation of John Taylor

     All his pleasures were social; and while health and fortune smiled upon him, he was no niggard either of his time or talents to those who needed them.

[edit] Usage notes

• This word, along with its adverbial form niggardly, should be used with caution. Owing to the sound similarity to the highly inflammatory racial epithet nigger, these words can cause unnecessary confusion and unintentional offense. The word is not related to the word nigger (a corruption of the Spanish word negro, meaning "black"), though someone unfamiliar with the word niggardly might take offense due to the phonetic similarity between the words.

[edit] Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:miser

[edit] Derived terms

• niggardly

[edit] Anagrams

• Alphagram: adgginr
• grading