The origin of the word is unknown, but it might come from an old Scottish word that meant “murmur” or “mumble,” or from the French coeur mechant, “evil heart.” The archaic definition made it a synonym for miser, and the word has had recent currency in a somewhat milder connotation, to describe a not entirely unlikable grouch.
Jon Winokur, The Big Curmudgeon (Black Dog & Leventhal, 2007)
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jonwinokur commented on the word curmudgeon
The origin of the word is unknown, but it might come from an old Scottish word that meant “murmur” or “mumble,” or from the French coeur mechant, “evil heart.” The archaic definition made it a synonym for miser, and the word has had recent currency in a somewhat milder connotation, to describe a not entirely unlikable grouch.
Jon Winokur, The Big Curmudgeon (Black Dog & Leventhal, 2007)
June 8, 2009