niggard
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Related to niggards: skinflint
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.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
niggard
(ˈnɪɡəd)n
a stingy person
adj
archaic miserly
[C14: perhaps of Scandinavian origin; related to Swedish dialect nygg and Old English hnēaw stingy]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
nig•gard
(ˈnɪg ərd) Sometimes Offensive.n.
1. an extremely stingy person.
adj. 2. niggardly; stingy.
[1325–75; Middle English nyggard=nig niggard (< Scandinavian; compare dial. Swedish nygg; akin to Old English hnēaw stingy) + -ard -ard]
usage: The words niggard and niggardly are sometimes perceived as insulting because they sound like the highly offensive word nigger. However, niggard dates back to Middle English. The first element nygg-, nig- was borrowed from a Scandinavian source, and -ard is a pejorative suffix. The English word niggardly is a modern English formation from niggard. Therefore the two words are not etymologically related to nigger. See also nigger.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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| Noun | 1. |  niggard - a selfish person who is unwilling to give or spendhoarder - a person who accumulates things and hides them away for future use pinchgut - a niggardly person who starves himself (and others) |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
niggard
nounA stingy person:
Informal: penny pincher.
Ungenerously or pettily reluctant to spend money:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
niggard
n (= miser) → Geizhals m (pej)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007