niddering

[ nid-er-ing ]

nounArchaic.
  1. a coward.

Origin of niddering

1
First recorded in 1590–1600; variant of nidering, which is a variant of niding, from nithing, from Old Norse nídhingr “villain, scoundrel, apostate.” The form niddering arose from a misreading of the letter ð (pronounced eth or edh, representing the th-sounds of thin and then) as an abbreviation for der

Words Nearby niddering

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How to use niddering in a sentence

  • A niddering who flies for his life at the first approach of danger is not fit to wield a sceptre in these lands.

  • "Let but a man stir towards me and this spear flies through thy heart, niddering," cried Eric.

    Eric Brighteyes | H. Rider Haggard
  • If so, I have been told both ways; in some visions, running like a niddering, in others standing firm as a pyramid.

    Dariel | R. D. Blackmore
  • As to Mr. William Morris, he might be fabled to render Α δειλοί “niddering wights,” but beyond that, conjecture is baffled.

    Essays in Little | Andrew Lang

British Dictionary definitions for niddering

niddering

noun
  1. a coward

adjective
  1. cowardly

Origin of niddering

1
C16: a mistaken reading of Old English nithing coward; related to nīth malice

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012