What does bagwig mean?
A bagwig is a type of men's wig that was fashionable during the eighteenth century, in which the hair at the back of the head was gathered together and enclosed in a black silk bag rather than left loose or curled. The style was particularly associated with army and naval officers, who adopted it as part of formal military dress, and it was typically worn powdered in the manner of the period. The bag served both a decorative and a practical purpose, keeping the powdered hair tidy and protecting uniforms from grease and powder. Today the word survives mainly in historical writing — accounts of Georgian fashion, museum catalogues, naval histories, and period fiction — where it evokes the elaborate grooming conventions of the era. Though obsolete as everyday attire by the early nineteenth century, the bagwig remains a vivid emblem of eighteenth-century formality and rank.
nounA man's wig of the 18th century in which the hair at the back was gathered and tied into a black silk bag, worn especially by army and navy officers.
- A wig whose back hair is collected into a silk bag, fashionable in the 18th century, especially among military and naval officers.
"The admiral's portrait shows him in full uniform, complete with a powdered bagwig."
"The officer adjusted his bagwig before reporting for duty."
"Museum exhibits of Georgian costume often include a carefully preserved bagwig."
Regular plural formation.
"The regiment's portraits all show officers in powdered bagwigs."
In the 1700s, officers didn't just wear wigs — they tucked them into little silk sleeping bags to keep their powder off their uniforms.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bagwig
The word is a straightforward English compound of 'bag' and 'wig', coined in the early eighteenth century to describe the new style in which the back hair of a wig was tied into a silk receptacle. It derives ultimately from Old Norse 'baggi', the source of 'bag', combined with 'wig', a clipped form of 'periwig', which itself came from French 'perruque'. The term fell out of common use along with the fashion it named.
How bagwig is actually used
The word is almost entirely historical, encountered in discussions of 18th-century fashion, military dress, and period literature; it would sound quaint in modern conversation.
Easily confused with bagwig
A bigwig is an important or influential person (a figurative term), whereas a bagwig is a style of 18th-century wig with the back hair enclosed in a bag.