biggin

English

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈbɪɡɪn/

Etymology 1

From French béguin. Compare beguine.

Noun

biggin (plural biggins)

  1. (archaic) A child's cap; (figuratively) childhood.
    • 1819, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe
      […] my brain has been topsy-turvy, they say, ever since the biggin was bound first round my head; so turning me upside down may peradventure restore it again.
    • Massinger
      An old woman's biggin for a nightcap.
  2. (historical) An official's hood or coif.
  3. (Scotland) A building; a bigging.

Etymology 2

From the inventor's surname.

Alternative forms

Noun

biggin (plural biggins)

  1. A coffee pot with a strainer or perforated metallic vessel for holding the ground coffee, through which boiling water is poured.

Anagrams
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