English word origin

Etymology of nig

From Middle English nig, probably of Scandinavian origin; see niggard. Unrelated to nigger.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Niggard.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English nig, probably of Scandinavian origin; see niggard. Unrelated to nigger.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionnigenm

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "nig"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English nig"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "¹"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "nig",
      "nig#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "niggard",
      "niggard#English"
    ],
    [
      "nigger",
      "nigger#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Niggard."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "recordId": "1f4d53d2767e7574a0e9142145609f8a14d1e88f9eec2e657ebd58f20977cb03",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0b595301c5f556b0ce9f014679b195f906eef03202d81ff45331cb35f8242428",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2653067
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To behave as a stereotypical black person.

noun

A nigger. · Clipping of nigga (“friend, fellow black person”).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of nigger. In the verb sense, a reinterpretation as if the word contained the suffix -er.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nigger"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of nigger"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "nigger",
      "nigger#English"
    ],
    [
      "-er",
      "-er#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To behave as a stereotypical black person."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet",
        "ethnic",
        "intransitive",
        "slur"
      ],
      "recordId": "b8a148e61b13d3ef8be0f9f3b1567a6d77f3a96fdaae6e77b9250ea754146f96",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3196d665ab7e05b45d9f012afa1a55b677f674e928e4e52b3a997674af6463e6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2653069
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A nigger.",
        "Clipping of nigga (“friend, fellow black person”)."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "ethnic",
        "offensive",
        "slur",
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "clipping"
      ],
      "recordId": "d583bcaa4b433caf783d0dbbaff1e463a3b3f8b9f42f972a517a881138356103",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8e65406de13d5d22d1eac7783c1a2eef21ff765ff321e227d98173bfad5ee8d5",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2653068
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for nig →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-bmln