miser

See also: Miser and misër

English

Etymology

From Late Latin miser (“wretched, unfortunate, unhappy, miserable, sick, ill, bad, worthless, etc.”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈmaɪzə(ɹ)/
  •  :Rhymes: -aɪzə(r)

Noun

miser (plural misers)

  1. (pejorative) A person who hoards money rather than spending it; one who is cheap or extremely parsimonious.
    Ebenezer Scrooge was a stereotypical miser: he spent nothing he could save, neither giving to charity nor enjoying his wealth.
  2. A kind of earth auger, typically large-bored and often hand-operated.

Synonyms

  • See Thesaurus:miser

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

Further reading

  • miser in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
  • miser in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
  • miser at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams

French

Verb

miser

  1. (gambling) to bet (place a bet)

Conjugation

Further reading

Anagrams

Latin

Etymology

Of unknown origin. Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *mēwdʰ- (“to complain, be emotional about”), the same root of Latin maereō and Ancient Greek μῖσος (mîsos, “hatred”).

Pronunciation

  • (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈmi.ser/, [ˈmɪ.sɛr]
  • Audio (Roman)(file)
  • Audio (classical)(file)

Adjective

miser (feminine misera, neuter miserum); first/second declension

  1. poor, wretched, pitiful
    • 29 bc. Vergil. Aeneid, Book I
      non ignara mali miseris succurrere disco
      being not unacquainted with woe, I learn to help the unfortunate
  2. miserable, unhappy
  3. worthless, null
  4. tragic, unfortunate
  5. sick
  6. tormenting

Inflection

First/second declension, nominative masculine singular in -er.

Number Singular Plural
Case / Gender Masculine Feminine Neuter Masculine Feminine Neuter
nominative miser misera miserum miserī miserae misera
genitive miserī miserae miserī miserōrum miserārum miserōrum
dative miserō miserō miserīs
accusative miserum miseram miserum miserōs miserās misera
ablative miserō miserā miserō miserīs
vocative miser misera miserum miserī miserae misera

Derived terms

Descendants

References

  • miser in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  • miser in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
  • miser in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
  • Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co.
    • (ambiguous) to live a happy (unhappy) life: vitam beatam (miseram) degere
  • H. H. Mallinckrodt, Latijn Nederlands woordenboek (Aula n° 24), Utrecht-Antwerpen, Spectrum, 1959 [Latin - Dutch dictionary in Dutch]
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