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nig·gle

(nĭgəl)

v. nig·gled, nig·gling, nig·gles

v.intr.

1. To cause one to be persistently preoccupied, annoyed, or uncomfortable: Doubts niggled at the back of my mind.

2. To pester someone or be annoying or uncomfortable in a persistent way: He niggled at me all day to lend him my car.

3. To be overly concerned or argumentative, especially about something petty; fuss: niggled over contract details.

v.tr.

1. To preoccupy, annoy, make uncomfortable in a persistent way: Suspicions niggled him.

2. To pester or nag (someone).

[Perhaps of Scandinavian origin.]

niggler n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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