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If anyone else was curious https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/niggle https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/niggle """ Etymology First attested in 1599. Origin uncertain
by CalRobert 2y ago
If anyone else was curious
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/niggle https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/niggle
"""
Etymology
First attested in 1599. Origin uncertain, but likely borrowed from dialectal Norwegian nigla (“to be stingy, to busy oneself with trifles”), ultimately from Old Norse hnøggr (“stingy; miserly”), related to Old English hnēaw (“stingy; niggardly”). More at niggard.
"""
Niggard is unrelated to the racial slur we're thinking of but in fairness I can understand how it would raise eyebrows.
- ctoth 2y agoI was also curious. If you really wanna go down the rabbit hole: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1557349 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1557349 History certainly loves to rhyme.
- dahart 2y ago> Niggard is unrelated to the racial slur we’re thinking of but in fairness I can understand how it would raise eyebrows. Would it be fair to say that a history of raising eyebrows establishes some relationship between otherwise previously unrelated words? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_about_the_word_niggardly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversies_about_the_word_n...
- CyberDildonics 2y agoStart saying it at work every day and when you get fired, you can tell them "but it was first attested in 1599!"