English
Etymology
Derived from the ON. verb nigla, meaning "to fuss about small matters". (The English word "niggle" retains the original Norse meaning.)
Adjective
en-adj|-
- miserly|Miserly or stingy.
Quotations
1852 CE: William and Robert Chambers, Chambers' Edinburgh Journal
Noun
en-noun
- A miser or stingy person; a skinflint.
Quotations
1618: John Taylor, The Pennyles Pilgrimage <small>OR</small> 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.
Usage notes
This word, along with its adjectival 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.
Derived terms
niggardly
io:niggard
fi:niggard
te:niggard
vi:niggard
zh:niggard
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