Whigs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A political group in 18th-century Britain that sought to limit monarchical power while promoting parliamentary authority
2. A historical faction in British politics during the 1700s that advocated for civil liberties and opposed absolute monarchy
3. A political party in Britain that emerged to support reform and challenge the authority of the crown, particularly in the 18th century

Etymology: Whigs were named after a Scottish word for a sour, whey-like drink. The Wiktionary source suggests "whig" probably comes from Middle English "wheyȝe" or "weyȝe", a variant of "whey", the watery liquid left after milk curdles. Its exact link to the political sense is what the source leaves uncertain, so the most that can be said is that the word was a rustic term for something sour and thin. The plural "whigs" is simply the plural of "whig", so it refers to members of the group, and the word's history lies entirely in the singular form. The term was later applied to a British political party, which opposed the Tories and favoured Parliament over the crown, but the political sense is not traced in the source, so its link to the dairy word cannot be confirmed.