niflingt (nifling)

[ feathery di ected leaves, and whitish, blue, or yellowish flowers. The species are called fennel-flower, especially the common N. Damascena and N. sativa. Both are garden-plants, the former vividly affecting the imagi nation, as appears from the names bishop's -wort, dev Flowering Branch of Nigella Damascena. The deep of night is crept upon our talk, And nature must obey nece ity; Which we will niggard with a little rest. Shak., J. C., iv. 8. 228. II. in trans. To be parsimonious or niggardly. Within thine own bud buriest thy content, And, tender churl, makest waste in niggarding . Shak., Sonnets, i. niggard i set, n. [Also niggardize , nigardise ; -ise , -ice .] Niggardline ; parsimony. Shut up and starued amidst those Treasures whereof he had store, which niggardise forbade him to disburse in his owne defence. Purchas , Pilgrimage, p. 74. Twere pity thou by niggardise shouldst thrive Whose wealth by waxing craveth to be spent. Drayton, Legend of Matilda. niggardline (nig'ärd-li-nes), n . The quality of being niggardly or stingy; sordid parsimony. niggardly (nig'ärd-li), a . [Early mod. E. nig ardly ; as, a niggardly person. Where the owner of the house will be bountiful, it is not for the steward to be niggardly. Bp. Hall. She invited us all to dine with her there, which we agreed to, only to vex him, he being the most niggardly fellow, it seems, in the world. Pepys , Diary, II. 295. 2. Characteristic of a niggard; meanly parsimonious; scanty: as, niggardly entertainment; niggardly thrift. valuliving, to be re about four hundre of about four hundred pounds yearly no niggardly a ignment to one of ten children. Jane Austen , North anger Abbey, xvi. Syn. Parsimonious , Stingy , etc. (see penurious ), illiberal, close-fisted, saving, chary. niggardly (nig'ärd-li), adv . [Early mod. E. nigardly, igardly , nygerdly ; mggardly , ner of a niggard; sparingly; parsimoniously. We gave money to the Frier-servants, and that not nig gardly , considering our light purses and long journey. Sandys , Travailes, p. 156. niggard ne (nig'ärd-nes), n. Niggardline . All preparations, both for food and lodging, such as would make one detest niggard ne , it is so sluttish a vice. Sir P. Sidney. To hinder the niggard ne of surviving relatives from cheating the dead out of the Church's services. Rock , Church of our Fathers, ii. 315. niggard oust (nig'är-dus), a. [ niggard + -ous .] Niggardly; parsimonious. This couetous gathering and nigardous keping. Sir T. More, Works, p. 94. niggards hipt (nig'ärd-ship), n. [ niggard + -ship .] Niggardline ; stingine . Surely like as the exce e of fare is to be iustly reproued, so in a noble man moch pinchyng and nygardshyp of meate and drynke is to be discommended. Sir T. Elyot , The Govern our, iii. 21. niggardyt (nig'är-di), n. [ nigardie , nigar dye ; niggard +-y3.] 1. Niggardline . Yit me greveth most his nigardye . il - in - a - bush , love- in-a-mist and rag- ged-lady. For the latter, see fennel- flower , caraway , 2, gith , nutmeg- flower , and black cumin 2. Niggardly or miserly persons. a, the fruit. Chaucer , Shipman's Tale, 1. 172. The negardye in kepynge hyr ryche e Pronostik is thow wilt hire toure asayle. Chaucer, Fortune, 1. 53. (under cumin ). - Nigella-seed, the seed of N. sativa . nigeott, n. See nidget . nigert, n. An obsolete spelling of nigger2 . nigerne t, n. [ -ne .] niggerl (nig'er), n. [ IMG:content-1364.png:[blocks in formation] Niger seeds. See Guizotia. niggard (nig'ärd), n. and a. [Early mod. E. nigard; nigard , nygard , miser; nig1 + -ard.] I. n. 1. A stingy or close-fisted person; a parsimonious or avaricious person; one who stints, or supplies sparingly; a miser. He is to greet a nygard that wolde werne A man to lighte his candle at his lanterne. Chaucer, Prol. to Wife of Bath's Tale, 1. 333. But these couetous nigardes pa e on with pain alway ye time present, & alway spare al for their time to come. Sir T. More, Works, p. 88. If Fortune has a Niggard been to thee, Devote thy self to Thrift. Congreve, tr. of Juvenal's Satires, xi. 2. A false bottom in a grate, used for saving fuel. Also nigger . Niggards, generally called niggers (i. e. false bottoms for grates). Mayhew , London Labour and London Poor, II. 8. II. a . Sparing; stinting; parsimonious. Niggard of question; but, of our demands, Most free in his reply. Shak., Hamlet, iii. 1. 13. Those lands which a niggard nature had apparently condemned to perpetual poverty and obscurity. Motley, Dutch Republic, I. 38. niggard, n., 2.] Same as niggard, 2.