ngeow

N1G2E1O1W4
Singapore/njaʊ/

adjective

Stingy, miserly

OriginHokkien 貓 /猫 ← Teochew 貓 /猫 →
Scrabble 9
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Meanings

adjectivengeow (comparative more ngeow, superlative most ngeow)

comparative more ngeow · superlative most ngeow

  1. SingaporeStingy, miserly

Origin

  1. Teochew貓 /猫“cat; stingy”
  2. Hokkien貓 /猫“cat; stingy”
  3. Englishngeow

From Hokkien 貓 /猫 (niau / ngiau, “cat; stingy”), with influence from Singapore Teochew 貓 /猫 (ngiao¹, “cat; stingy”). See also Hokkien 貓潲 /猫潲 (niau-siâu, “stingy”), 貓神 /猫神 (niau-sîn, “stingy”), 貓𡳞 /猫𡳞 (niau-lān / niau-lǎn, “stingy”), 貓筩 /猫筒 (niau-thāng, “stingy”).

More words from Hokkien, Teochew

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

GowenOgwenGweno
Cite this entry
APA

ngeow. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ngeow

MLA

“ngeow.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ngeow. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ngeow,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ngeow.

Source: ngeow on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.