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1. A member of an 18th- and 19th-century British political party that was opposed to the Tories.
2. A supporter of the war against England during the American Revolution.
3. A 19th-century American political party formed to oppose the Democratic Party and favoring high tariffs and a loose interpretation of the Constitution.
[Probably short for Whiggamore, a member of a body of 17th-century Scottish Presbyterian rebels.]
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.