peruke

[puh-rook] /pəˈruk/
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.
Origin
1540-50; < Middle French perruque head of hair, wig, of disputed orig.
Related forms
peruked, adjective
perukeless, adjective
unperuked, adjective
Examples from the web for peruke
  • It arises perpendicularly from tho forehead to the height of a foot and a half, thus forming a prodigious and ugly peruke.
British Dictionary definitions for peruke

peruke

/pəˈruːk/
noun
1.
a type of wig for men, fashionable in the 17th and 18th centuries Also called periwig
Word Origin
C16: from French perruque, from Italian perrucca wig, of obscure origin
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.

Encyclopedia Article for peruke

periwig

man's wig, especially the type popular from the 17th to the early 19th century. It was made of long hair, often with curls on the sides, and drawn back on the nape of the neck

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