periwig

English

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periwig

Wikipedia

Etymology

Alteration of Middle French perruque. Doublet of peruke.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈpɛɹɪwɪɡ/

Noun

periwig (plural periwigs)

(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

Translations

wig — see wig

Verb

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

(transitive) To dress with a periwig, or with false hair; to bewig.
- 1736, Jonathan Swift, The Legion Club:
  Discord periwigg'd with snakes