niggard
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niggard
- /ˈnɪɡɚd/ US
- /ˈnɪɡəd/ UK
Sounds like niggered
Where it comes from
From Middle English nigard, nygard (“miser”), from nig (“niggardly person”), possibly of Scandinavian origin;
compare Old Icelandic hnøggr (“miserly, stingy”), Old Norse *hniggw, with descendants Swedish njugg (“stingy”), dialectal Swedish niggla (“be stingy”), dialectal Norwegian nigla.
Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hnauwjaz, source of Old English hneaw (“stingy”), replaced by Middle English nig.
Possibly cognate to niggle (“miser”).
Compare German Knicker (“niggard”), knickerig (“niggardly”). Unrelated to the word nigger, but see the usage notes.
adjective more niggard · most niggard
- Sparing; stinting; parsimonious.
- Miserly or stingy. It was, however, the pleasure of his niggard and unhappy fortune, that in seeking a place proper for his accommodation, he and Dapple tumbled into a deep and very dark pit, among a number of old buildings.
noun niggards
-
A miser or stingy person; a skinflint.
Then beautious nigard why dooſt thou abuſe / The bountious largeſſe giuen thee to giue?
Similar: carl, cheapass, cheapie, cheapskate, cheapo, churl, clutchfist, el cheapo, last of the big spenders, magpie, miser, moneygrubber
- A false bottom in a grate, used for saving fuel. 1833, Edward Bulwer Lytton, Godolphin It was evening: he ordered a fire and lights; and, leaning his face on his hand as he contemplated the fitful and dusky upbreakings of the flame through the bars of the niggard and contracted grate […]
Talk about this word "niggard." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/niggard. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. niggard. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/niggard "niggard." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/niggard.Cite this
@misc{niggard_2026,
title = {niggard},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/niggard},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
