Where does “bigwig” come from?
bigwig (English) comes from English big, from Middle English big, from Middle English biggen, from Old Norse byggja, from Proto-Germanic būwijaną, from Proto-Germanic būaną, from Proto-Indo-European bʰuH- — to become, grow, appear.
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 big
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | big | Of great size, large; Thought to have undue... |
| 2 | Middle English | big | — |
| 3 | Middle English | biggen | build; dwell |
| 4 | Old Norse | byggja | to settle, build; to inhabit, dwell, live; to let... |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | būwijaną | to settle, to inhabit |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | būaną | to dwell, reside |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰuH- | to become, grow, appear |