Beperiwigged

/bɪˈpɛrɪwɪɡd/ adjective

Definition

Wearing a wig or decorated with a periwit; elaborately adorned in the style of formal wigs.

Etymology

From 'be-' prefix + 'periwigged' (from periwit/periwig, a fashionable wig of the 17th-18th centuries). This word marks a specific historical moment when elaborate wigs were a status symbol.

Kelly Says

King Louis XIV and English Restoration courtiers wore massive wigs as power symbols, so calling someone 'beperiwigged' was shorthand for fancy, formal, or pretentiously proper.

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