wig

Etymology

Shortening of periwig, itself an alteration of French perruque.

Pronunciation

• enPR: wĭg, IPA^(key): /wɪɡ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Rhymes: -ɪɡ

• Homophone: Whig (in accents with the wine-whine merger)

Noun

wig (plural wigs)

1. A head of real or synthetic hair worn on the head to disguise baldness, for cultural or religious reasons, for fashion, or by actors to help them better resemble the character they are portraying.
2. (dated, among fishermen) An old seal.

Verb

wig (third-person singular simple present wigs, present participle wigging, simple past and past participle wigged)

1. To put on a wig; to provide with a wig (especially of an actor etc.).
2. (colloquial) To upbraid, reprimand.
3. (colloquial) To become very excitable or emotional; to lose control of one's emotions.

See also

• earwig
• merkin
• periwig
• peruke

Further reading

• wig on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• wig in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica.

Etymology

From Dutch wig.

Noun

wig (plural wîe)

1. wedge
2. quoin

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪx
• IPA^(key): /ʋɪx/

Noun

wig f (plural wiggen, diminutive wiggetje n)

1. wedge

Romanization

wig

1. Romanization of 𐍅𐌹𐌲

Alternative forms

• ƿig

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wiːj/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *wīgą, from Proto-Indo-European *weyk-.

Etymology 2

Variant of weoh.

Etymology 1

From Proto-Germanic *wīgą, from Proto-Indo-European *weyk-.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Germanic *wigją.