# bigwig

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbɪɡ.wɪɡ/ · frequency rank #89,160

## Definitions
1. A person of importance in a group or organization.

## Etymology
First arose in the 1730s, from big + wig. Formerly, English men of authority wore wigs. Bigwig plays on the idea that higher authority is denoted by a larger wig.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/bigwig