Its origins are murky, but probably from Old Norse: mid-14c., nygart, of uncertain origin. The suffix suggests French origin (cf. –ard), but the root word is probably related to O.N. hnøggr “stingy,” ...

“Niggardly.” Go on, I dare you. Say it. Savor those syllables. Let your tongue caress those consonants. If you’re black and reading this, you may well have just laughed, smiled knowingly, been ...

A viral clip of Independent Vermont Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders using the word “niggardly” at a 1986 debate has begun to circulate anew on the weekend of the South ...

Calling someone a racist for using the oft-misunderstood word “niggardly” does not constitute defamation, a Mendocino County Superior Court judge has ruled. The decision concludes a small claims ...

Beyond its homophonic resemblance, the word niggardly has no connection to the N-word. Niggardly means stingy or miserly. The late comedian Jack Benny, who made a career as a cheapskate, was niggardly ...

Remember a few years back, when a white aide to the then-mayor of Washington, DC, got canned for using the word "niggardly" in a budget briefing? A couple of African-American colleagues present ...

Notes: Because it sounds so much like the "N-word," this completely unrelated word has taken collateral damage. In Play: "I would like to see the snobocrats in the head office try to get along on the ...