www.alphadictionary.com

Posted: **Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:37 pm**

nig·gard (ngrd)
n.
A stingy, grasping person; a miser.
adj.
Stingy; miserly.

[Middle English nigard, perhaps from nig, stingy person, of Scandinavian origin.]
Noun 1. niggard - a selfish person who is unwilling to give or spend
scrooge, skinflint, churl
hoarder - a person who accumulates things and hides them away for future use
pinchgut - a niggardly person who starves himself (and others)
from freedictionary.com

So, is this an acceptable word now or not? Is it in the catagory of scatagory?

Kt

Posted: **Sat Jan 21, 2006 1:47 pm**

Heed not the verdant canine.

Brazilian dude

Posted: **Sat Jan 21, 2006 2:08 pm**

[Middle English nigard, perhaps from nig, stingy person, of Scandinavian origin.]

I never thought about it before, but it sounds like this is related to renig, too!

-Tim

Posted: **Sat Jan 21, 2006 3:17 pm**

Thanks Katy. I knew about the adjective ''niggardly'' but not the noun.

Posted: **Sat Jan 21, 2006 11:14 pm**

Tim, I see the renig, I think you are right!
I can't find a definition, we all probably agree it's a word. a legitamit word.

Kt

Posted: **Sun Jan 22, 2006 9:24 pm**

[Middle English nigard, perhaps from nig, stingy person, of Scandinavian origin.]
I never thought about it before, but it sounds like this is related to renig, too!

-Tim

Mmmmmm . . . not directly, but perhaps through the Medieval Latin root renegāre, to deny.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

renege

SYLLABICATION: re·nege
PRONUNCIATION: rĭ-nĭg', -nĕg', -nēg'
VERB: Inflected forms: re·neged, re·neg·ing, re·neges

INTRANSITIVE VERB: 1. To fail to carry out a promise or commitment: reneged on the contract at the last minute. 2. Games To fail to follow suit in cards when able and required by the rules to do so.
TRANSITIVE VERB: To renounce; disown.
NOUN: The act of reneging.
ETYMOLOGY: Medieval Latin renegāre, to deny. See renegade.
OTHER FORMS: re·neger —NOUN

Online Etymology Dictionary:

renege
1548, from M.L. renegare, from L. re-, intensive prefix, + negare "deny" (see deny).

Renege itself connotes more of a failure to act or follow through on a promise rather than an active stinginess. The AHD definition of niggardly:

niggardly

SYLLABICATION: nig·gard·ly
PRONUNCIATION: nĭg'ərd-lē
ADJECTIVE: 1. Grudging and petty in giving or spending. 2. Meanly small; scanty or meager: left the waiter a niggardly tip.
OTHER FORMS: nig'gard·li·ness —NOUN
nig'gard·ly —ADVERB

But, note that the Online Etymology Dictionary does not trace niggard back to Latin:

niggard
1366, nygart, of uncertain origin. The suffix suggests Fr. origin (cf. dastard), but the root word is probably related to O.N. hnøggr "stingy," from P.Gmc. *khnauwjaz (cf. Swed. njugg "close, careful," Ger. genau "precise, exact"), and to O.E. hneaw "stingy, niggardly," which did not survive in M.E.