louse
A head louse under illumination and magnified.
Meanings
Noun
- A small parasitic wingless insect of the order Psocodea.
- A contemptible person; one who is deceitful or causes harm.
Verb
- To remove lice from; to delouse.
Related
Similar words
Origin
- From Middle English lous, lows, lowse, from Old English lūs, from Proto-Germanic *lūs (compare West Frisian lûs, Dutch luis, German Low German Luus, German Laus), from Proto-Indo-European *lewH- (compare Welsh llau ("lice"), Tocharian B luwo, maybe Sanskrit यूका).
Modern English dictionary
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