Etymology

periwig

P3E1R1I1W4I1G2

Today it means: A wig, especially any kind of stylized wig as formerly worn by men and women. Full definition →

First used 16th c.Middle French perruque
Ask AI about its historyChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

The story

  1. Middle French · derived fromperruque
  2. English todayperiwig

Alteration of Middle French perruque. Doublet of peruke.

First known use, by meaning

  • from 16th c. A wig, especially any kind of stylized wig as formerly worn by men and women.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.