whig

whig
/hwig, wig/, v.i., whigged, whigging. Scot.
to move along briskly.
[1660-70; perh. Scots var. of dial. fig to move briskly; see FIDGET]

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Member of a political faction in England, particularly in the 18th century.

Originally a term for Scottish Presbyterians, the name came to imply nonconformity and rebellion and was applied in 1679 to those who wanted to exclude James, the Catholic duke of York (later James II), from succession to the throne of England. The Whigs were opposed by the Tory faction in that struggle but later represented the aristocratic, landowning families and financial interests of the wealthy middle classes. They maintained power through patronage and connections in Parliament, but there was no distinct party until 1784, when Charles James Fox represented the interests of religious dissenters, industrialists, and others who sought parliamentary reform. After 1815 and following various party realignments, the political group became the Liberal Party.

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  • whig — whig …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • whig — [ wig ] n. • 1690; mot angl. 1 ♦ Hist. Au XVIIe s., Partisan du bill d exclusion voté contre le catholique duc d York. 2 ♦ Membre du parti libéral opposé aux torys, aux XVIIIe et XIXe s. Adj. « leurs adversaires whigs » (Madelin) …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Whig — may refer to:Political parties and factionsIn the United Kingdom* Kirk Party, a faction of the Scottish Covenanters during the 17th century Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and the original Whigs. (See also Whigg and Whiggamore Raid) * Whig (British… …   Wikipedia

  • whig — whig·ga·more; whig·gery; whig·gi·fy; whig·gish; whig·gish·ly; whig·gism; whig·ling; whig·ma·lee·rie; whig; whig·ism; whig·ma·lee·ry; …   English syllables

  • Whig — Whig, n. [Said to be from whiggam, a term used in Scotland in driving horses, whiggamore one who drives horses (a term applied to some western Scotchmen), contracted to whig. In 1648, a party of these people marched to Edinburgh to oppose the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • whig — s.m. Nume dat adversarilor ducelui de York, organizaţi într un partid care, după dezmembrarea partidului, la începutul sec. XIX, au intrat în partidul liberal englez. [pr.: uig] – cuv. engl. Trimis de cata, 27.02.2002. Sursa: DEX 98  whig s. m.… …   Dicționar Român

  • Whig — British political party, 1657, in part perhaps a disparaging use of whigg a country bumpkin (1640s); but mainly a shortened form of Whiggamore (1649) one of the adherents of the Presbyterian cause in western Scotland who marched on Edinburgh in… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Whig — (pronunc. [uig]; pl. «whigs») adj. y n. Del partido liberal inglés. * * * El término Whig corresponde al antiguo nombre del partido Liberal británico. La denominación Partido Liberal comenzó a aplicarse a mediados del siglo XIX y a finales de… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • whig — /wig/, it. /wig/ s. ingl. [prob. abbrev. di Whiggamore, nome di un gruppo di insorti scozzesi, nel 1648], usato in ital. come s.m. e agg. ■ s.m. 1. (stor.) [partito storico dell Inghilterra fautore della tolleranza in campo religioso e degli… …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • Whig — [hwig, wig] n. [shortened form of whiggamore (applied to Scot Covenanters who marched on Edinburgh in 1648), an erratic form of Scot whiggamaire < whig, a cry to urge on horses + mare, horse] 1. a member of a political party in England (fl.… …   English World dictionary

  • Whig — Whig, a. Of or pertaining to the Whigs. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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