peruke

[puh-rook]

See more synonyms for peruke on Thesaurus.com

noun

a man's wig of the 17th and 18th centuries, usually powdered and gathered at the back of the neck with a ribbon; periwig.

Origin of peruke

First recorded in 1540–50, peruke is from the Middle French word perruque head of hair, wig, of disputed orig.

Related formspe·ruked, adjectivepe·ruke·less, adjectiveun·pe·ruked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for peruke

hairpiece, toupee, rug, periwig, peruke, postiche

Examples from the Web for peruke

Historical Examples of peruke

The period is contemporary with the peruke––the period is the peruke of style.
Leading Articles on Various Subjects
Hugh Miller
The Peruke, and, as it were, all that the Peruke symbolized.
History Of Friedrich II. of Prussia, Volume IV. (of XXI.)
Thomas Carlyle
His silver-white hair when he removed his peruke was a venerable spectacle.
Pioneers of Science
Oliver Lodge
This was a peruke of his, famous in the part of Sir Fopling Flutter.
The Town
Leigh Hunt
Jacques had taken off the mask and peruke of Goodman Cholera.
The Wandering Jew, Complete
Eugene Sue

British Dictionary definitions for peruke

peruke

noun

a type of wig for men, fashionable in the 17th and 18th centuriesAlso called: periwig

Word Origin for peruke

C16: from French perruque, from Italian perrucca wig, of obscure origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for peruke

1540s, "natural head of hair," from Middle French perruque (late 15c.), from Italian perrucca "head of hair, wig," of uncertain origin; supposed by some to be connected to Latin pilus "hair," "but the phonetic difficulties are considerable" [OED]. Meaning "artificial head of hair, periwig" is attested from 1560s.