Nigel

English

Etymology

English form of Latin Nigellus, from nigellus (“slightly black”), diminutive of niger (“black”), used in the Middle Ages to Latinize Norman Néel and Old Irish Níall, from which the former is derived via Old Norse Njáll. Compare Neil.

Pronunciation

• Audio (Australia):

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ˈnaɪd͡ʒəl/
• Rhymes: -aɪdʒəl

Proper noun

Nigel

1. A male given name from Latin, of mostly British usage.
   • 1822, Walter Scott, chapter XXIII, in The Fortunes of Nigel:

     'I thought, sir,' answered Nigel, with as much haughtiness as was consistent with the cool distance he desired to preserve, 'I thought I had told you, my name was Nigel Grahame.'
     His eminence of Whitefriars on this burst into a loud, chuckling, impudent laugh, repeating the word, till his voice was almost inarticulate, - 'Niggle Green - Niggle Green - Niggle Green! why, my lord, you would be queered in the drinking of a penny pot of Malmsey, if you cry before you are touched.'

   • 2023 July 28, Steerpike, “Has Gina Miller also fallen victim to ‘debanking’?”, in The Spectator‎^[1], archived from the original on 28 July 2023:

     It might come as some small comfort to Nigel Farage to discover that it’s not just those on his side of the Brexit debate who have fallen victim to potential ‘debanking’.

2. A small mining town in Ekurhuleni municipality, Gauteng province, South Africa.

Derived terms

• Nigella (feminine form)
• Niyjale (rare; African-American)
• Nige (colloquial, UK and Australian)
• not my Nigel

Noun

Nigel (plural Nigels)

1. (Australia, derogatory, youth slang) Synonym of dweeb (“boring or socially inept person”).

   He's such a Nigel, hanging around in the library all day by himself.

2. (slang, derogatory) An Englishman.

Synonyms

• Nigel no friends
• Nigel no mates
• Nige

Anagrams

• Elgin, Elgin., Eling, Ingle, ingle, linge

Cebuano

Etymology

From English Nigel.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: Ni‧gel

Noun

Nigel

1. a male given name from English [in turn from Latin]