miser

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | 700+ words | Copyright

miser
A. †wretch;

B. avaricious person. XVI. — L. miser wretched. unfortunate.
So miserable A. wretched XVI; B. †miserly XV. — OF. misérable — L. miserābilis pitiable, f. miserāri be pitiful. Hence miserly XVI. miserere fifty-first (fiftieth) psalm, beginning Miserere mei Deus ‘Have mercy upon me, O God’ XIII; prayer for mercy XVII; misericord (seat) XVIII. imper. sg. of L. miserērī have pity, f. miser; the last sense is a misuse. misericord †pity, mercy XIV; dagger for giving the coup de grȧce XV; choir seat giving support to one standing XVI. — OF. miséricorde — L. misericordia, f. misericors pitiful f. miseri-, stem of miserērī + cors, cord- HEART. misery wretchedness of external conditions XIV; extreme unhappiness XVI; † miserliness XVI. — AN. *miserie, for (O)F. misēre or — L. miseria, f. miser; see -Y3.

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T. F. HOAD. "miser." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "miser." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-miser.html

T. F. HOAD. "miser." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-miser.html

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