Whiggism Definition

Whig (historical)
noun

1. A member of one of the main British political parties that emerged 1679‐80, agitating for the exclusion of James, the Duke of York (later James VII and II) from the throne, on the grounds of his Catholicism. The party was superseded in 1830 by the Liberal Party. Compare Tory.
2. A Scottish Presbyterian in the 17c.
3. In the US: someone in the colonial period who was opposed to British rule; a supporter of the American Revolution.
4. In the US: a member of the party formed from the survivors of the old National Republican party and other elements, first given this name in 1834.

adj

1. Composed of, referring or relating to the Whigs.

Derivative: Whiggery
noun

Whig principles.

Derivative: Whiggish
adj

Derivative: Whiggishly
adverb

Etymology: 17c: probably from whiggamore, the name for a 17c Scottish Presbyterian rebel, from whig to urge forward + mere mare or horse.