Peep-Show
/ˈpiːp ˌʃoʊ/noun
A brief visual display or performance viewed through a small opening; also, a voyeuristic display.
Did you know?The name is built from a simple verb meaning “to look quickly,” and the “show” part turned it into a staged act of seeing—proof that English can make spectatorship itself into a performance.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
pīcian
“to peep, look quickly or furtively”
Middle English
ME
pepen / peepen
“to look or chirp briefly; to glance”
16th Century
English
peep
“a quick or furtive look”
18th Century
English
peep-show
“a small exhibition or display viewed through an opening”
Modern English
English
peep-show
“a display, performance, or erotic show designed to be viewed in secret”