Where does “bigwig” come from?
bigwig (English) comes from English wig, from English periwig, from French perruque, from Italian perrucca, from Italian parrucca — wig.
bigwig (English): A person of importance to a group or organization
Definitions
- A person of importance to a group or organization
Ancestry of “bigwig”, step by step
bigwig traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English wig
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | wig | A head of real or synthetic hair worn on the head... |
| 2 | English | periwig | A wig, especially any kind of stylised wig as... |
| 3 | French | perruque | wig; wig, periwig, peruke |
| 4 | Italian | perrucca | Alternative form of parrucca |
| 5 | Italian | parrucca | wig |
via English big
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | big | Of great size, large; Thought to have undue... |
| 2 | Middle English | big | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | bugja- | swollen up, thick |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰew- | to grow, swell; to swell, wax, grow; to blow; to... |
Words derived from “bigwig”