Postby Stargzer » 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.
Regards//Larry
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