Great Wen

proper noun

Derogatory name for London: the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom.

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Meanings

proper nounthe Great Wen
  1. UKderogatoryinformalDerogatory name for London: the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom.

    But, what is to be the fate of the great wen of all? The monster, called, by the silly coxcombs of the press, 'the metropolis of the empire?'

    1830, William Cobbett, Rural Rides
    1 more example

    London is of vital importance to the communications, industry and towns of the south-east Midlands as a whole, though the proximity of 'the Great Wen' may be partly responsible for the fact that no town within it has a population of more than 130,000.

    1962, C. T. Smith, “The South-East Midlands”, in J. B. Mitchell, editor, Great Britain: Geographical Essays, page 135

Origin

UK 1820s. From great (“very big”) + wen (“a cyst on the skin”). Coined by William Cobbett.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Great Wen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Great%20Wen

MLA

“Great Wen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Great%20Wen. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Great Wen,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Great%20Wen.

Source: Great Wen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.