Peruke or Periwig

Menage ingeniously derives these words from the Latin pilus (“hair”). Thus, pilus, pelus, peluʹtus, peluʹticus, peluʹtica, peruʹa, perruque. The wigs are first mentioned in the 16th century; in the next century they became very large. The fashion began to wane in the reign of George III. Periwig is a corrupt form of the French word perruque.