'miser' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'miser', where 'miser' meant 'wretched' or 'unhappy'.

'miser' passed into Middle English (via Old French influences) as a noun meaning a stingy person and eventually became the modern English word 'miser'.

Initially, it meant 'wretched' or 'unhappy' in Latin, but over time it evolved into the English noun meaning 'a person who hoards money and spends as little as possible'.