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niddering

[ nid-er-ing ]

noun

, Archaic.
  1. a coward.


niddering

/ ˈnɪdərɪŋ /

noun

  1. a coward
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012


adjective

  1. cowardly
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of niddering1

First recorded in 1590–1600; variant of nidering, which is a variant of niding, from nithing, from Old Norse nídhingr “villain, scoundrel, apostate.” The form niddering arose from a misreading of the letter ð (pronounced eth or edh, representing the th- sounds of thin and then ) as an abbreviation for der
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Word History and Origins

Origin of niddering1

C16: a mistaken reading of Old English nithing coward; related to nīth malice
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Example Sentences

A niddering who flies for his life at the first approach of danger is not fit to wield a sceptre in these lands.

"Let but a man stir towards me and this spear flies through thy heart, Niddering," cried Eric.

If so, I have been told both ways; in some visions, running like a niddering, in others standing firm as a pyramid.

As to Mr. William Morris, he might be fabled to render Α δειλοί “niddering wights,” but beyond that, conjecture is baffled.

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