periwig
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of periwig
1520–30; earlier perwyke, alteration of Middle French perruque peruke
Vocabulary lists containing periwig
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Men in the 17th century wore the "periwig" - long, voluminous artificial curls - to denote wealth and high social status.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
The cumbersome, bottom-heavy periwig, with its almost waist-length expanse of curls, has long since given way to a proliferation of shorter, more comfortable styles.
From Time Magazine Archive
Modern listeners found James Hewitt's ideas as quaint as a periwig, but agreed that his music was well worth unearthing.
From Time Magazine Archive
As such he must wear periwig and gown at all meetings of Parliament, listen to debates, rule tactfully on parliamentary procedure.
From Time Magazine Archive
He found himself, in middle age, a sour-faced, undersized man, with a huge periwig, a huger outjutting beak of a nose, and wearing egregiously high boot heels to eke out his height.
From Superwomen by Terhune, Albert Payson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
