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niggard

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology | 1996 | Copyright

niggard sb. stingy person; adj. stingy, miserly. XIV. alt., with substitution of suffix -ARD, of earlier †nigon (XIV–XVI), f †nig (XIII–XVII); prob. of Scand. orig. (cf. Sw. njugg, ON. hnǫggr, Norw. nögg), and ult. rel. to OE. hnēaw niggardly, corr. to MDu. nauwe (Du. nauw narrow, tight), MHG. nouwe careful, exact, (ge)nouwe scarcely (G. genau exactly).
Hence niggardly XVI; see -LY1, -LY2.

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T. F. HOAD. "niggard." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Feb. 2010 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

T. F. HOAD. "niggard." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 9, 2010). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-niggard.html

T. F. HOAD. "niggard." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 09, 2010 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-niggard.html

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