Meanings
nig1
nig2
plural nigs
- ethnicoffensiveslurA nigger.
He always thought one step ahead of the nigs.
1959, Don Robertson, The three days4 more examples
Cotton-eyed Joe, Cotton-eyed Joe, He was de nig dat sarved me so,…
1925, Dorothy Scarborough, assisted By Ola Lee Quiledge, On The Trail of Negro Folk-Songs-online book. A collection of negro folk songs with lyrics, sheet music & commentaries, Traditionalmusic.co.uk, pages 69–70‘When a few wild nigs come in he must ‘educate’ the most intelligent looking; they will come in handy.’
1937, Ion L. Idriess, Over the Range, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1947, page 216In a field near the house was a nigger working a poor old broken-down mule and another nigger sowing wheat. When we came up, both nigs quit work and stared at us.
1961, Robert Hale Strong, A Yankee private's Civil WarWhat part did she play in your marrying a nig — a black man — nig, nig — Negro?
1967, Frank Hercules, I want a black doll - abbreviationclippingAfrican-American VernacularClipping of nigga (“friend, fellow black person”).
Take Blow, my room dawg and fraternity brother from back in the college days. He's a real smoove nig, curly haired handsome, and got mad chick appeal.
2009, Mary B. Morrison, Maneater, Detroit, M.I. […]: Thorndike Press, →ISBN, page 252
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
nig · noun
- Middle Englishnig
- Englishnig
From Middle English nig, probably of Scandinavian origin; see niggard. Unrelated to nigger.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →nig · noun, verb
Clipping of nigger. In the verb sense, a reinterpretation as if the word contained the suffix -er.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with nig
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
nig. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nig
“nig.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nig. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nig,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nig.
Source: nig on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.