Mid 16th century; earliest use found in Richard Sherry (b. c1505), schoolmaster and author. From classical Latin periergia excessively elaborate rhetorical style (Quintilian) and its etymon Hellenistic Greek περιεργία, already in ancient Greek denoting futility, needless questioning, curiosity, useless learning from περίεργος curious, superfluous, excessively elaborate, in Hellenistic Greek especially of rhetorical style, and in sense ‘taking needless trouble’ + -ία; compare -y.