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peruke

[puh-rook]
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noun
  1. a man's wig of the 17th and 18th centuries, usually powdered and gathered at the back of the neck with a ribbon; periwig.
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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

Examples from the Web for peruke

Historical Examples

  • 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.

  • His silver-white hair when he removed his peruke was a venerable spectacle.

  • 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.

British Dictionary definitions for peruke

peruke

noun
  1. a type of wig for men, fashionable in the 17th and 18th centuriesAlso called: periwig
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Word Origin

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

n.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper