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niggard

 - 3 dictionary results

nig⋅gard

  [nig-erd]
Use niggard in a Sentence
–noun
1. an excessively parsimonious, miserly, or stingy person.
–adjective
2. niggardly; miserly; stingy.
Origin:
1325–75; ME nyggard, equiv. to nig niggard (< Scand; cf. dial. Sw nygg; akin to OE hnēaw stingy) + -ard
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To niggard
nig·gard   (nĭg'ərd)   
n.  A stingy, grasping person; a miser.
adj.  Stingy; miserly.

[Middle English nigard, perhaps from nig, stingy person, of Scandinavian origin.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

niggard 
1366, nygart, of uncertain origin. The suffix suggests Fr. origin (cf. dastard), but the root word is probably related to O.N. hnøggr "stingy," from P.Gmc. *khnauwjaz (cf. Swed. njugg "close, careful," Ger. genau "precise, exact"), and to O.E. hneaw "stingy, niggardly," which did not survive in M.E.
"It was while giving a speech in Washington, to a very international audience, about the British theft of the Elgin marbles from the Parthenon. I described the attitude of the current British authorities as 'niggardly.' Nobody said anything, but I privately resolved—having felt the word hanging in the air a bit—to say 'parsimonious' from then on." [Christopher Hitchens, "The Pernicious Effects of Banning Words," Slate.com, Dec. 4, 2006]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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