niddering

[nid-er-ing]

noun

Archaic.

1. a coward.

niddering

/ ˈnɪdərɪŋ /

noun

1. a coward

adjective

1. cowardly

Word History and Origins

Origin of niddering¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of niddering¹

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

Example Sentences

“True;” said the harper recovering himself, “what hath Wulfhere to do with a niddering?”

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I am a Saxon, Jarl Hakon, and niddering would I be to sing of my country’s shame.

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Niddering did it seem to leave thee, a girl, in the hands of the foe, unwitting what might befall thee.

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Niddering is he who speaketh so to a maiden.

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Let every man that is not niddering, whether in a town or out of a town, leave his house and come.”

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