different between nithing vs niddering

English

Etymology

From Middle English nithing, nithinc, nything, nythyng, nythynge, niþinge, nyþing, nyþyng, Early Middle English niðing, niþinc, niþincke (“coward, wretch; good-for-nothing; term of address for a boy or lad; stingy or miserly person; niggardly, miserly, stingy”), from Late Old English nithing, Old English niðing, n?þing (“coward; wretch; outlaw, villain”), from a North Germanic language, from Proto-Germanic *n?þ? (“envy; hate; malice”) (from Proto-Indo-European *neyH- (“to be angry”)) + *-ing?, *-ung? (suffix forming gerund nouns from verbs).

The English word is cognate with Danish nidding, Late Latin nidingus, nithingus, Middle High German n?dinc, n?dunc (modern German Neiding (“(archaic) one who is envious”)), Old Norse níðingr (Icelandic níðingur (“scoundrel, rascal”), Norwegian niding), Old Swedish n?þinger (modern Swedish niding).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /?na?ð??/
• Hyphenation: ni?thing

Noun

nithing (plural nithings)

1. (archaic) A coward, a dastard; a wretch.

   Synonyms: nidering, niddering; see also Thesaurus:coward
2. (archaic) A wicked person; also, one who has acted immorally or unlawfully.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:villain

Alternative forms

• niding

Derived terms

• nidering, niddering
• nithing post
• nithing stake

Related terms

• nithe

Translations

Adjective

nithing (comparative more nithing, superlative most nithing)

1. (archaic) Cowardly, dastardly.

   Synonyms: nidering, niddering; see also Thesaurus:cowardly
2. (archaic) Notoriously evil or wicked; infamous.

   Synonyms: nidering, niddering; see also Thesaurus:evil

Alternative forms

• niding

Translations

References

Further reading

• n?þ on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• nithing in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• hinting

English

Etymology

A variant of nithing, resulting from the letter eth (ð) in Early Middle English niðing in the writings of the English historian William of Malmesbury (c. 1095 – c. ?1143) being mistaken for a d followed by a mark of suspension representing a letter that had been omitted as an abbreviation. This led to niðing being wrongly spelled as nidering in early printed versions of his works. The word was later popularized by the Scottish novelist and poet Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /?n?d????/, /?n?d???/
• Hyphenation: nid?der?ing

Noun

niddering (plural nidderings)

1. (archaic) Synonym of nithing (“a coward, a dastard; a wretch”)

Alternative forms

• nidering

Adjective

niddering (comparative more niddering, superlative most niddering)

1. (archaic) Synonym of nithing (“cowardly, dastardly; notoriously evil or wicked; infamous”)

Alternative forms

• nidering

References