periwig
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈpɛrɪwɪg/
- Archaic
:
peluca
- He adjusted his periwig before stepping into the grand hall, knowing it marked his high social standing.
Examples
-
During the play, the actor donned a lavish periwig that reflected the extravagant style of the time.
-
With the periwig gone and the coat tossed over the seat of a straight-backed caned chair, Marlowe was about as comfortable as he was going to get on such a day.
Fiction book (2002) -
Until just the past few months, he had worn it close-cropped to accommodate one of the many elaborate periwigs that his station in Virginia society had dictated he wear.
Fiction book (2002) -
All day long, as Duncan went over his accounts before the fire, he heard tunes played: "Carls w' the Breeks," "The Old Sword's Lament," and "The Fried Periwig."
Fiction book (1999) -
O, it offends me to the soul to hear a robustious, periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to split the ears of the groundlings, who for the most part are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb shows and noise.
-
In the 18th century, many gentlemen wore a periwig to showcase their status and fashion sense.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A man's wig worn in the 1600s and 1700s
A long, full wig worn by men in the 1600s and 1700s to show status
A wig from the 1700s with hair tucked into a bag at the back
How Ornate
Surface Forms
Etymology
Periwig comes from the old French word perruque, which meant 'false hair', and English speakers later mixed that word with the simple English word wig. So a periwig is literally a 'wig' or hairpiece that men wore to show fashion and social rank.