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Yesterday was collection day for the Salvation Army in Australia. Some niggardly people didn't give money.

The adverb form niggardly, miserly or stingily, was formed in the sixteenth century from niggard, a miser or stingy person. In the Wycliffe Bible of 1384 it was spelled nygard; earlier still it can be found as nigon, and another form nig also existed. We are pretty sure this was borrowed from a Scandinavian source, because there are related words in several Germanic languages, for example, the Old Norse hnøgger, meaning “stingy”. So it has nothing to do with nigger, which comes via French nègre from Spanish negro, ultimately from Latin niger, meaning “black”.

My mother used to call me niggardly when I wouldn't share my toys with my baby brother.

Take care,

Gordon.

gordonartist wrote: Yesterday was collection day for the Salvation Army in Australia. Some niggardly people didn't give money.



The adverb form niggardly, miserly or stingily, was formed in the sixteenth century from niggard, a miser or stingy person. In the Wycliffe Bible of 1384 it was spelled nygard; earlier still it can be found as nigon, and another form nig also existed. We are pretty sure this was borrowed from a Scandinavian source, because there are related words in several Germanic languages, for example, the Old Norse hnøgger, meaning “stingy”. So it has nothing to do with nigger, which comes via French nègre from Spanish negro, ultimately from Latin niger, meaning “black”.



My mother used to call me niggardly when I wouldn't share my toys with my baby brother.



Take care,



Gordon.




All that may be true, however theres a neighborhood I could take you to, and if you spouted that word you would be hamburger. It still carries a connotation. Correct or not.

I would agree.

But almost every word used must be insulting to someone.

And also some words, having been used so often become "Holy " shrines, like "democracy" "rights" 'freedom"

I remember once reading an article called "The Tyranny Of Words". I wish I had kept the article.

Take care,

Gordon.

Words mean ------ what we choose them to mean.

Once a bachelor gay was simply a young man enjoying his freedom. Today it would be taken to mean a single homosexual male. If I were to write that “I blow both ways” I would mean that I am undecided but there are parts of the world that I would be thought to be referring to bi-sexual oral sex.

At best words are imprecise and their usage is often key to their understanding.

Take the old AI classic when being introduced to semantics --- “Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana” or in the case of AI programming for Knowledge Based Systems “What’s brown and sticky? Answer – a stick.”

On one of my early visits to the US I unthinkingly asked if anyone had a rubber that I could borrow. I meant an eraser, I asked for an eraser, what I was heard to ask for was a contraceptive.

I like the word niggardly.

It has a clear and mostly unambiguous meaning for me. It doesn’t have the same meaning to other people. Just as with gay (or more properly GAY rightly now also meaning ‘Good As You’) it has changed as does all language.

Today it is me who would be being niggardly if I persisted in using the word in view of its changed meaning for so many people.

Diuretic wrote: I'm reminded of the incident somewhere in Britain where there were attacks on a medical practitioner who was a paediatrician. The mob confused the term with "paeophile". They should have been rounded up and beaten with all the volumes of the OED.


It took place in Wales which in itself explains a great deal.

I was in the UK at the time and it cracked me up. My family at home just didn't beleve me - I had to bring a newspaper back. We've still got it somewhere.

gordonartist wrote: I would agree.



But almost every word used must be insulting to someone.



And also some words, having been used so often become "Holy " shrines, like "democracy" "rights" 'freedom"



I remember once reading an article called "The Tyranny Of Words". I wish I had kept the article.



Take care,



Gordon.




True enough, especially today. You just never know. Im sure theres a carp lover somewhere that would prefer you use the Latin text. Niggardly however is fairly beyond question I think.

Golem beat me to it, regarding the hijacking of the word 'gay'.

Another word that appears to have been corrupted is 'decimate'.

It used to mean to reduce by a tenth, and now appears to be generally used to mean to reduce to a tenth.

That looks so picky when you type it out!:)

I would think twice about calling someone a nig-nog any longer. Hang on, let me check the dictionary...

1967 Times 30 Nov. 10/8 ‘Nig-nog’ was used on the railways and elsewhere long before coloured immigrants appeared... It is usually taken as a mildly contemptuous but good-humoured name for an unskilled man or novice.But now? No, I'm not going to risk it any longer. It's been hijacked by Bulldog Drummond style thugs for whom jail seems the only sensible resting place. (from The Sunday Herald August 29 2004): Men like Simon Mann and Mark Thatcher seem of a type that, throughout history, have been content to pillage Africa and create chaos, while at the same time complaining that Africans themselves are incapable of running their own "nig-nog" countries (as Thatcher has called them)

SnoozeControl wrote: I miss the word "queer"... that used to be one of my favorite words as a child.I'm sure it suited you perfectly. As queer as a two dollar bill, our Snooze.

ArnoldLayne wrote: Back in the mid 70's when I was in Her Majesties Forces, any new, untrained recruit was called a "nig". Maybe related to Spots info somewhere along the line.



As previously stated it doesnt really matter on the words real meaning or origin, offence will be derived from the words intentOh tosh - would that it were. My intent is as pure as driven snow, we all know that. Offence will be derived from the listener's understanding, which is far too often too limited to cope with my intent in the slightest.

SnoozeControl wrote: Duh... wotchoo mean?:-2Let me clarify... my intent is as pure as driven snow except where Snooze is concerned.