Advertisement

Origin and history of curmudgeon

curmudgeon(n.)

"churlish, miserly fellow, mean man," 1570s, of unknown origin. Drant (1568) translating Gregory of Nazianus, calls someone "a bolde curmogine chuffe." Liberman says the word "must have been borrowed from Gaelic" (and references muigean "disagreeable person"), with variant spelling of an intensive prefix represented by ker-. Related: Curmudgeonly.

The suggestion that it is from French coeur mechant "evil heart" is no longer taken seriously; nor is the notion that it is a corruption of corn merchant (with the notion of "one who withholds food"), which is attested by 1836. Liberman also dismisses the notion that the first syllable is cur "dog."

The minor poet Kynaston in late 17c. has murgeon "grimace, quaint gesture."

Sea-monsters, who up from the deep were come,
Presented a delightful antic dance,
Who on the waters' surface nimbly swome,
Making odd murgeons with their looks askance,
["Leoline and Sydanis"] 


also from 1570s

Entries linking to curmudgeon

ker-

U.S. slang prefix, by 1836 as che-, 1843 as ker-, possibly from influence of German or Dutch ge-, past participial prefixes; or ultimately echoic of the sound of the fall of some heavy body.

    Advertisement

    More to explore

    Hunker
    station, home," hence "those who stay safe on base" (see hunky-dory), but it also has been said to be from a local word for a curmudgeon...
    corn
    [grain], Old English corn "single seed of a cereal plant; seeds of cereal plants generally; plants which produce corn when growing in the field," from Proto-Germanic *kurnam "small seed" (source also of Old Frisian and Old Saxon korn "grain," Middle Dutch coren, German Korn, Old
    merchant
    "one engaged in the business of buying commercial commodities and selling them again for profit," early 13c., marchaunt (late 12c. as a surname), from Anglo-French marchaunt "merchant, shopkeeper" (Old French marcheant, Modern French marchand), from Vulgar Latin *mercatantem (nom
    fellowship
    c. 1200, feolahschipe "companionship," from fellow + -ship. The sense of "a body of companions" is from late 13c. The meaning "spirit of comradeship, friendliness" is from late 14c. As a state of privilege in English colleges, from 1530s. In Middle English it was at times a euphe
    moonlight
    "hold a second job, especially at night," 1957 (implied in the verbal noun moonlighting), from moonlighter "one who takes a second job after hours" (1954), from the notion of working by the light of the moon; see moonlight (n.). Earlier the verb had been used to mean "commit crim
    waffle
    "kind of batter-cake, baked crisp in irons and served hot," 1744, from Dutch wafel "waffle," from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German wafel, from Proto-Germanic *wabila- "web, honeycomb" (source also of Old High German waba "honeycomb," German Wabe), related to Old High German weba
    contrive
    early 14c., controve, contreve, "to invent, devise, plan;" late 14c., "to manage by a plan or scheme," from Old French controver (Modern French controuver) "to find out, contrive, imagine," from Late Latin contropare "to compare" (via a figure of speech), from an assimilated form
    realm
    c. 1300, reaume, "kingdom, domain under a sovereign, royal jurisdiction," from Old French reaume, later realme, variants (in part by influence of Old French reial "regal," from Latin  regalis) of roiaume "kingdom." This is possibly from a Gallo-Romance *regiminem, "formed as
    kindergarten
    1852, from German Kinder-Garten (1840), literally "children-garden, garden of children," a metaphoric name from Kinder "children" (plural of Kind "child;" see kin (n.)) + Garten "garden" (from suffixed form of PIE root *gher- (1) "to grasp, enclose"). Coined by German educator Fr
    convenience
    late 14c., "agreement, conformity, resemblance, similarity," also "state or condition of being suitable, adaptation to existing conditions," from Latin convenientia "a meeting together, agreement, harmony," from convenien-, present-participle stem of convenire "to come together,

    Share curmudgeon

    Advertisement
    Trending
    Dictionary entries near curmudgeon
    Advertisement