Forms: 6– curmudgeon; also 6 -mudgen, 6–7 cormogeon, -gion, 7 cormoggian, -mudgeon, curmudgion, -muggion, -mudgin, curr-mudgin, curre-megient, 8 cur-mudgeon. See also CORMULLION. [Derivation unknown: see below.]
‘An avaricious churlish fellow; a miser, a niggard’ (J.).
1577. Stanyhurst, Descr. Irel., 102/2, in Holinshed. Such a clownish Curmudgen.
1593. Nashe, Christ’s T., 85 b. Our English Cormogeons, they haue breasts, but giue no suck.
1604. T. Wright, Passions, V. 289. Why do covetous cormogions distill the best substance of their braines to get riches…?
1626. W. Sclater, Exp. 2 Thess. (1629), 270. Curre-megients, who scarcely know any other sentence of Scripture, yet … haue this of Paul in their mouthes; worke for your liuing.
1656. Earl Monm., Advt. fr. Parnass., 387. Certain greedy curmuggions, who value not the leaving of a good name behind them to posterity.
1705. Hickeringill, Priest-cr., I. (1721), 8. If … the rich Curmudgeon … do not open his Purse wide.
1824. W. Irving, T. Trav., I. 254. I had a rich uncle … a penurious accumulating curmudgeon.
1860. Whyte-Melville, Holmby House, 377. A thankless old curmudgeon.
The occurrence in Holland’s Livy, 1600, of CORNMUDGIN (q.v.) has led to a suggestion that this was the original form, with the meaning ‘concealer or hoarder of corn,’ mudgin being associated with ME. much-en, mich-en to pilfer, steal, or muchier, Norman form of OF. mucier, musser to conceal, hide away. But examination of the evidence shows that curmudgeon was in use a quarter of a century before Holland’s date, and that cornmudgin is apparently merely a nonce-word of Holland’s, a play upon corn and curmudgeon. The suggestion that the first syllable is cur, the dog, is perhaps worthy of note; but that of Dr. Johnson’s ‘unknown correspondent,’ cœur méchant for F. méchant cœur, ‘evil or malicious heart,’ is noticeable only as an ingenious specimen of pre-scientific ‘etymology,’ and as having been retailed by Ash in the form, ‘from the French cœur unknown, and mechant a correspondent’!]
