niddering

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niddering

/ˈnɪdəɹɪŋ/ US, UK
/ˈnɪdɹɪŋ/ US, UK

Where it comes from

A variant of nithing, resulting from the letter eth (ð) in Early Middle English niðing in the writings of the English historian William of Malmesbury (c. 1095 – c. 1143) being mistaken for a d followed by a mark of suspension representing a letter that had been omitted as an abbreviation. This led to niðing being wrongly spelled as nidering in early printed versions of his works. The word was later popularized by the Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832).

noun nidderings · nidering

archaic Synonym of nithing (“a coward, a dastard; a wretch”). ‘Now will I have at thee as a base kern and niddering,’ roared the knight.
Similar: nithing

adjective more niddering · most niddering · nidering

archaic Synonym of nithing (“cowardly, dastardly; notoriously evil or wicked; infamous”). I require of thee, as a man of thy word, on pain of being held faithless, man-sworn, and nidering [footnote: Infamous], to forgive and to receive to thy paternal affection the good knight, Wilfrid of Ivanhoe.
Similar: ill-famed, nidering, nithing, disreputable, infamous, nefarious, niddering, notorious

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MLA

"niddering." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/niddering. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

niddering. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/niddering

Chicago

"niddering." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/niddering.

BibTeX

@misc{niddering_2026,
  title = {niddering},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/niddering},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}