Monday, March 2, 2009

Niddering, Wretch

Niddering is an archaic word meaning "A cowardly person; a wretch." It comes from a misreading of the Middle English word nithing. It went through Old English (nithing) from Old Norse, nidhingr and the original Norse word nidh, meaning scorn.

Wretch is a noun meaning "A miserable, unfortunate, or unhappy person or a person regarded as base, mean, or despicable." It went through Middle English as the word wrecched from the Old English word wrecca meaning exile or wretch.

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