miser

Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Origin: L. miser wretched, miserable; cf. Gr. μῖσος hate, μισεῖν to hate: cf. It. & Sp. misero wretched, avaricious.

1. A wretched person; a person afflicted by any great misfortune. obsolete Edmund Spenser

The woeful words of a miser now despairing.— Sir Philip Sidney

2. A despicable person; a wretch. obsolete William Shakespeare

3. A covetous, grasping, mean person; esp., one having wealth, who lives miserably for the sake of saving and increasing his hoard.

As some lone miser, visiting his store, Bends at his treasure, counts, recounts it o'er.— Oliver Goldsmith

4. A stingy person; one very reluctant to spend money.

5. A kind of large earth auger. Knight, Edward Henry

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54 · with additions: GCIDE editors