niddering
Americannoun
noun
adjective
Etymology
Origin of niddering
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
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Thou hast called me pestilent, niddering, And weakling: yet I boast me better far Than thou in wit and speech, which things increase The strength of men.
From The Fall of Troy by Arthur Sanders Way
Let every man that is not niddering, whether in a town or out of a town, leave his house and come.”
From A Maid at King Alfred?s Court by Lucy Foster Madison
Atli was deceived by her, and not until I had cut him down in anger at the bitter words he spoke, calling me coward and niddering, did he know the truth.
From Eric Brighteyes by Henry Rider Haggard
A niddering who flies for his life at the first approach of danger is not fit to wield a sceptre in these lands.
From The Last of the Vikings by John Bowling
Should we be vile and niddering enough to gain no honour on the field, very surely we shall receive yet more shame as our portion when we come into his presence.
From Arthurian Chronicles: Roman de Brut by Eugene Mason
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
