Definitions For Niddering

Adjective

(archaic) {{synonym of, en, nithing, t=cowardly, dastardly; notoriously evil#adjective, evil or wicked; infamous}}

Alternative forms

nidering

Noun

NIDDERING (plural NIDDERINGs) (archaic) {{synonym of, en, nithing, t=a coward, a dastard; a wretch}}

Alternative forms

nidering

Etymology

{{PIE root, en, neyH}} A variant of nithing, resulting from the letter eth (ð) in Early {{cog, enm, niðing}} in the writings of the English historian {{w, William of Malmesbury}} ({{circa2, 1095, short=yes}} – c.  1143) being mistaken for a d followed by a mark of suspension representing a letter that had been omitted as an abbreviation. This led to niðing being wrongly spelled as nidering in early printed versions of his works. The word was later popularized by the Scottish novelist and poet Sir {{w, Walter Scott}} (1771–1832).{{R:OED Online, pos=n. and adj, id=126832, date=September 2003, nodot=yes}}; {{R:Lexico, pos=adj}}