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It means stingy or miserly, or inappropriately small or scanty (e.g. "a niggardly tip for a waiter"). It comes from the noun "niggard," which is not at all related to the racial slur it sounds like. The word actually comes from Old Norse (Scandinavian) hnygghard meaning "stingy." Because it sounds like the racial slur, the words "niggard" and "niggardly" are often avoided nowadays because people ignorant of the etymology misconstrue these words as slurs as well. However, they are not racial slurs, although "niggardly" and "niggard" are not complimentary in meaning.
The first and only use of niggard is a stingy, grasping person, a miser. Niggard is from the Swedish nig, akin to Old Norse hröggr. It has no connection whatsoever with the n- word, which derives from the Spanish negro, meaning black. If your question really is "When was the word niggard first used in English?" we may never know, exactly. Chaucer (ca. 1380) writes A ful gret fool is he, i wis/ That bothe riche and nygard is.
The site "Take Our Word For It" in issue 26 claims that the first available written record of "Niggardly" is from 1530 (although the article fails to present this record). "Niggard" is reported to have been used by (Geoffery) Chaucer as early as 1374, and Shakespeare used it at some point. The same article claims that Middle English had a word "nig" which meant stingy. Although, another site "The Online Etymology Dictionary" has no listing of the word "nig", and a Google search reveals no etymological reference whatsoever save of course abbreviations for "Nigeria". As a side note, in all of the recent (and not so recent) debates surrounding this word, people almost always focus on the etymology and completely miss the point, it's not what the word means, but what the person means when they use it. The Italian word "melanzana" or "muli" is innocent enough, it just means "eggplant", but when it is used as a slur to refer to dark-skinned people, it's not innocent at all.
If the person in question is well read of Chaucer and Shakespeare and thinks the word is just synonym for "parsimonious" well that's fine, although it's unfortunate that they are insensitive to the phonetic connotation almost everyone around them is sure to make.
If the person thinks the word derives from the racial slur, well that's another issue entirely. The tragedy is that when it becomes an issue, people easily lie about what they think or thought, so it's often hard to get at the truth.
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What does Vous êtes laid mean?
Google translate= You're ugly. Enjoy life. You are mean; just enjoy life.
What does la salida mean in English?
Salida might mean exit. It might mean a way out. It might mean offramp. It might mean a date.
What does wahbegan mean?
what does algonquin mean?
What does the name Diante mean?
Mean
What is a synonym for parsimonious?
stingy - niggardly - miserly - thrifty - saving - mean
How do you spell your mean in spanish?
Tu eres mezquino/a (male/female) = You're mean, niggardly.
What is the definition of the word niggardly?
Niggardly means to behave in a selfish or stingy manner. For example if you work for a company who doesn't give you a raise since they wanna keep every penny for themselves; then they are acting niggardly with your salary. If you are never asked to hang out with popular people then people are treating you niggardly. It could also be a word of prejudice or discrimination against another.
Which is the nine letter word meaning stingy?
niggardly
What is the definition of the word miserly?
To be niggardly, stingy, ungenerous.
What is something bad that starts with the letter N?
Niggardly folk.
How do you use niggard in a sentence?
Niggard is a noun of Scandinavian origin. It means to be a miser. He was a niggard with his money. Niggardly is an adjective and it means to be stingy. He gave the waitress a niggardly tip of fifty cents.
What is the meaning of illiberal?
Not liberal; not free or generous; close; niggardly; mean; sordid., Indicating a lack of breeding, culture, and the like; ignoble; rude; narrow-minded; disingenuous., Not well authorized or elegant; as, illiberal words in Latin.
What is niggricy?
I am not sure that is a real word. There is only one reference to it and there is no explanation on the Internet. Perhaps you mean niggardly, which I believe is a word of Dutch origin meaning cheap, frugal, stingy or petty. These days it is best to avoid using either word for obvious reasons.
What is the meaning of skimpy?
# Inadequate, as in size or fullness, especially through economizing or stinting: a skimpy meal. # Unduly thrifty; niggardly.
What is the meaning of churlish?
Like a churl; rude; cross-grained; ungracious; surly; illiberal; niggardly., Wanting pliancy; unmanageable; unyielding; not easily wrought; as, a churlish soil; the churlish and intractable nature of some minerals.
How do you use the word 'niggard' in a sentence?
He was such a niggard that he would not pay for his daughter's medicine. She was a niggard that she would not buy new shoes until holes were worn through the soles. His friend is so niggardly that he doesn't want to spend a penny when we go on a trip.
