niggard

American  

[nig-erd] / ˈnɪg ərd /

noun

1. an excessively parsimonious, miserly, or stingy person.

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adjective

1. miserly; stingy.

niggard British  

/ ˈnɪɡəd /

noun

1. a stingy person

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adjective

1. archaic miserly

Sensitive Note

The words niggard and niggardly are often misinterpreted as racial slurs because they sound like what is probably the most offensive word in the English language. Actually, niggard dates back to Middle English. The first element nygg-, nig- was borrowed from a Scandinavian source, and -ard is a pejorative suffix. The adjective and adverb niggardly is a modern English formation from niggard. Historical linguists and others familiar with the etymology of these words know that they are not truly related to the word nigger. However, the source of a term is not as important as how it is perceived and used in contemporary language. So even if the words niggard and niggardly are not racial slurs in their etymologies, meanings, or historical uses, it may be wisest to avoid these terms. The connotation or perception of any word is determined by how it is used, received, and interpreted; niggard and niggardly may be offensive to many speakers because of this speculative, but false, etymology.

Etymology

Origin of niggard

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English nyggard, nigard “a stingy person,” from earlier nig “a stingy person” (from Old Norse; compare Old Icelandic hnöggr “stingy,” dialectal Swedish njugg, nygg “parsimonious”; akin to Old English hnēaw “stingy”) + -ard

Example Sentences

The Aga Khans have been generously rewarded by Britannia—no niggard when she obtains good value for her money.

From Time Magazine Archive

Flowing around you, not brooding and nursing every niggard stone.

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner

The prospect of ruin, of losing her all and becoming dependent on the Squire's niggard bounty, had closed her mind to other terrors.

From Ovington's Bank by Weyman, Stanley J.

The life of the colonists was a daily battle with niggard Nature—for New Mexico was never fertile—and with deadliest danger.

From The Spanish Pioneers by Lummis, Charles F.

I am myself, indeed, daily in Maussenbach, and pleading; but the niggard accepts no disinterested arguments; and for all else R�per has feeling and reason.

From The Invisible Lodge by Jean Paul