wig

Pronunciation: /wɪɡ/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun hairpiece covering the head and made of real or synthetic hair
  2. noun British slang for a scolding

Etymology

Clipping of periwig, itself an alteration of French perruque. The meaning of "to reprimand" perhaps came from this being something a bigwig would do or perhaps from the expressions to flip one's wig, wigs on the green, or dash my wig!

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
hairpiece
Narrower (hyponyms)
periwig, grizzle, horsehair wig

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