Revised 2008

bigwignoun

Etymology
Meaning & use
Pronunciation
Frequency
Compounds & derived words

Quotations

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Factsheet

What does the noun bigwig mean?

There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun bigwig. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence.

bigwig is considered derogatory.

See meaning & use

How common is the noun bigwig?

About 0.2occurrences per million words in modern written English

1780	0.012
1790	0.016
1800	0.023
1810	0.039
1820	0.047
1830	0.064
1840	0.086
1850	0.098
1860	0.11
1870	0.13
1880	0.14
1890	0.14
1900	0.15
1910	0.17
1920	0.2
1930	0.21
1940	0.23
1950	0.23
1960	0.21
1970	0.18
1980	0.18
1990	0.19
2000	0.19
2010	0.2

See frequency

How is the noun bigwig pronounced?

British English

/ˈbɪɡwɪɡ/

BIG-wig

U.S. English

/ˈbɪɡˌwɪɡ/

BIG-wig

See pronunciation

Where does the noun bigwig come from?

Earliest known use

late 1700s

The earliest known use of the noun bigwig is in the late 1700s.

OED's earliest evidence for bigwig is from 1772, in the writing of George Alexander Stevens, actor and writer.

bigwig is formed within English, by compounding.

Etymons: big n.2, wig n.3

See etymology

Nearby entries

big top, n.1889–
big tree, n.1853–
biguanide, n.1881–
biȝule, v.c1225–25
big-up, n. & int.1964–
biguttate, adj.1862–
biguttulate, adj.1885–
big wave, n.1935–
big wheel, n.1893–
big whoop, int. & n.1984–
bigwig, n.1772–
bigwigged, adj.1778–
bigwiggedness, n.1884–
bigwiggery, n.1855–
bigwiggism, n.1872
big-worded, adj.1767–
big-wordiness, n.1874
bihalve, v.c1300–1400
bihalve, prep. & adv.Old English–1275
bihalves, prep. & adv.late Old English–1452
Bihari, n.1882–

Browse more nearby entries

Etymology

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Entry history for bigwig, n.

bigwig, n. was revised in December 2008.

bigwig, n. was last modified in July 2023.

oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:

further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
new senses, phrases, and quotations.

Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into bigwig, n. in July 2023.

Earlier versions of this entry were published in:

OED First Edition (1887)

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OED Second Edition (1989)

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View bigwig in OED Second Edition

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Chicago

Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .

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MLA9

“” Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford UP, , .

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Citation details

Factsheet for bigwig, n.

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Nearby entries

big top, n.1889–
big tree, n.1853–
biguanide, n.1881–
biȝule, v.c1225–25
big-up, n. & int.1964–
biguttate, adj.1862–
biguttulate, adj.1885–
big wave, n.1935–
big wheel, n.1893–
big whoop, int. & n.1984–
bigwig, n.1772–
bigwigged, adj.1778–
bigwiggedness, n.1884–
bigwiggery, n.1855–
bigwiggism, n.1872
big-worded, adj.1767–
big-wordiness, n.1874
bihalve, v.c1300–1400
bihalve, prep. & adv.Old English–1275
bihalves, prep. & adv.late Old English–1452
Bihari, n.1882–

Browse more nearby entries