cootie

Meaning

1. (slang) A louse (Pediculus humanus).
2. (colloquial) A louse (Pediculus humanus).
3. (colloquial) Any germ or contaminant, real or imagined, especially from the opposite gender (for pre-pubescent children).
4. A nest-building female American coot (counterpart to cooter).
5. (slang) A sideswiper, a type of telegraph key.

Synonyms

body louse

louse

Pediculus corporis

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkuːti/

Etymology

Probably from Malay kutu (“flea, louse”) (and/or Tagalog/Maori). First attested in English in 1917 as British army slang during World War I.