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periwig

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Etymology

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Alteration of Middle French perruque. Doublet of peruke.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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periwig (plural periwigs)

  1. (now historical) A wig, especially any kind of stylised wig as formerly worn by men and women. [from 16th c.]
    • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [] (First Folio), London: [] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii]:
      O, it
      offends me to the soul to hear a robustious
      periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to
      very rags, to split the ears of the groundling []
    • 1607, Cyril Tourneur, The Revenger’s Tragedy:
      Methinks she makes almost as fair a sign / As some old gentlewoman in a periwig.
    • 1633, John Donne, To the Countess of Salisbury, ll 4-7:
      [T]he sun
      Grown stale, is to so low a value run,
      That his dishevel'd beams and scattered fires
      Serve but for ladies' periwigs and tyres
      In lovers' sonnets []
    • 1657, Josua Poole, The English Parnassus, vide "Frost":
      The floods in icie fetters bound.
      Crusted earth. Every honey-headed twig
      Wears his snowie Periwig,
      And every bough his snowy beard.
    • 1730, Jonathan Swift, “Death And Daphne,”, in Some Verse Pieces:
      From her own Head, Megwra takes
      A Perriwig of twisted Snakes;
      Which in the nicest Fashion curl'd,
      Like Toupets of this upper World []
    • 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle [], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., [], →OCLC:
      [O]ur impetuous youth hearing himself reviled with the appellation of scoundrel, pulled off his antagonist's periwig, and flung it in his face.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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periwig (third-person singular simple present periwigs, present participle periwigging, simple past and past participle periwigged)

  1. (transitive) To dress with a periwig, or with false hair; to bewig.