Wig
/wɪɡ/noun
A covering for the head made of real or artificial hair.
Did you know?Wig is first recorded in the early 17th century, but its exact origin is uncertain; scholars have suggested links to dialect words for “to shake” or “to move briskly,” which fits how early wigs were often tied to fashion, status, and performance.
Etymological Timeline
Early 17th Century
English
wig
“A covering of false hair worn on the head.”
Uncertain
English dialect
wigge / wegge
“A possible earlier form or related dialect word, with uncertain meaning.”
Middle English
English
wiggen
“To move briskly, shake, or agitate (a proposed related sense in some etymological discussions).”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*wig-
“A proposed Germanic base connected by some scholars to movement or shaking, though not securely established for the noun 'wig'.”