Main Entry: Peep·ing Tom

Pronunciation: \ˌpē-piŋ-ˈtäm\

Function: noun

: a pruriently prying person : voyeur

—Peeping Tom·ism \-ˈtäm-ˌiz-əm\ noun

Peeping Tom, British legendary character. According to popular legend, Tom was a prying tailor who was struck blind (or, in some versions, struck dead) as he watched Lady Godiva when she rode naked through the streets of Coventry, England, as a protest against the heavy taxes imposed upon the citizens of Coventry.