louse

Meaning

Noun

1. A small parasitic wingless insect of the order Psocodea.
2. (colloquial) A contemptible person; one who is deceitful or causes harm.

Verb

To remove lice from; to delouse.

Synonyms

lice

flea

nit

worm

🪱

head louse

biting louse

bird louse

sucking louse

louse egg

plant louse

insect

bedbug

nits

body louse

cootie

dirt ball

mite

pervert

rotter

scum

sleazebag

spoil

stinker

teeth

🦷

this

tick

tooth

🦷

vermin

villain

🦹‍♂️

wretch

dirtbag

scumbag

contemptible person

greyback

pediculus

head lice

plug-ugly

2

head-louse

sleazeball

Phthiraptera

ant cow

common louse

yobo

pediculi

human head louse

scuzzball

scumbucket

slutbag

scuzzbucket

aphid

pick out louse

bad guy

bastard

bug

🐛

bully

crook

crud

discomfit

fleas

greenfly

head

heel

hood

looter

lowlife

maggot

Pronounced as (IPA)

/laʊs/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: lous

Inherited from Old English: lūs

Cognate with Western Frisian: lûs

Cognate with Dutch: luis

Cognate with German: Laus

Cognate with Welsh: llau

Cognate with Tokharian B: luwo

In summary

From Middle English lous, lows, lowse, from Old English lūs, from Proto-West Germanic *lūs, from Proto-Germanic *lūs, from Proto-Indo-European *lewH-.
See also West Frisian lûs, Dutch luis, German Low German Luus, German Laus; also Welsh llau (“lice”), Tocharian B luwo, maybe Sanskrit यूका (yūkā).