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pe·ruke

(pə-rk)

A wig, especially one worn by men in the 1600s and 1700s; a periwig.

[Early Modern English, from Middle French parrucque, perruque, natural head of long hair, wig, possibly from perroquet, parakeet (perhaps in reference to the parakeet's erectile head feathers) ; see PARAKEET.]

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peruke

1758 portrait of Hugh Hall by John Singleton Copley

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

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Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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