Word Study
louse
CIDE DICTIONARY
louse, n. [OE. lous, AS. l, pl. l; akin to D. luis, G. laus, OHG. l, Icel. l, Sw. lus, Dan. luus; perh. so named because it is destructive, and akin to E. lose, loose.].
- Any one of numerous species of small, wingless, suctorial, parasitic insects belonging to a tribe (
Pediculina ), now usually regarded as degraded Hemiptera. To this group belong of the lice of man and other mammals; as, the head louse of man (Pediculus capitis ), the body louse (Pediculus vestimenti ), and the crab louse (Phthirius pubis ), and many others. SeeCrab louse ,Dog louse ,Cattle louse , etc., under Crab, Dog, etc. [1913 Webster] - Any one of numerous small mandibulate insects, mostly parasitic on birds, and feeding on the feathers. They are known as Mallophaga, or bird lice, though some occur on the hair of mammals. They are usually regarded as degraded Pseudoneuroptera. See Mallophaga. [1913 Webster]
- Any one of the numerous species of aphids, or plant lice. See Aphid. [1913 Webster]
- Any small crustacean parasitic on fishes. See Branchiura, and Ichthvophthira. [1913 Webster]" The term is also applied to various other parasites; as, the whale louse, beelouse, horse louse." [1913 Webster]
louse, v. t.
To clean from lice. Swift. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
louse, n. & v.
--n.
1 (pl. lice) a a parasitic insect, Pediculus humanus, infesting the human hair and skin and transmitting various diseases. b any insect of the order Anoplura or Mallophaga parasitic on mammals, birds, fish, or plants.
2 sl. (pl. louses) a contemptible or unpleasant person.
--v.tr. remove lice from.
--n.
1 (pl. lice) a a parasitic insect, Pediculus humanus, infesting the human hair and skin and transmitting various diseases. b any insect of the order Anoplura or Mallophaga parasitic on mammals, birds, fish, or plants.
2 sl. (pl. louses) a contemptible or unpleasant person.
--v.tr. remove lice from.
Idiom
louse up sl. make a mess of.
Etymology
OE lus, pl. lys
THESAURUS
louse
SOB, bastard, bugger, cat flea, chigoe, cockroach, crab, creep, cur, dog, dog flea, fart, flea, grayback, heel, hood, hooligan, jerk, jigger, meanie, mite, mother, nit, parasite, pill, rat, red bug, roach, sand flea, shit, shithead, shitheel, skunk, snake, stinkard, stinker, toad, turd, vermin, weevil, wretchROGET THESAURUS
louse
Uncleanness
N uncleanness, impurity, immundity, immundicity, impurity, defilement, contamination, defoedation, soilure, soiliness, abomination, leaven, taint, tainture, fetor, decay, putrescence, putrefaction, corruption, mold, must, mildew, dry rot, mucor, rubigo, slovenry, slovenliness, squalor, dowdy, drab, slut, malkin, slattern, sloven, slammerkin, slammock, slummock, scrub, draggle-tail, mudlark, dust-man, sweep, beast, dirt, filth, soil, slop, dust, cobweb, flue, smoke, soot, smudge, smut, grit, grime, raff, sossle, sozzle, sordes, dregs, grounds, lees, argol, sediment, settlement heeltap, dross, drossiness, mother, precipitate, scoriae, ashes, cinders, recrement, slag, scum, froth, hogwash, ditchwater, dishwater, bilgewater, rinsings, cheeseparings, sweepings, offscourings, outscourings, off scum, caput mortuum, residuum, sprue, fecula, clinker, draff, scurf, scurfiness, exuviae, morphea, fur, furfur, dandruff, tartar, riffraff, vermin, louse, flea, bug, chinch, mud, mire, quagmire, alluvium, silt, sludge, slime, slush, slosh, sposh, spawn, offal, gurry, lientery, garbage, carrion, excreta, slough, peccant humor, pus, matter, suppuration, lienteria, faeces, feces, excrement, ordure, dung, crap, shit, sewage, sewerage, muck, coprolite, guano, manure, compost, dunghill, colluvies, mixen, midden, bog, laystall, sink, privy, jakes, toilet, john, head, cess, cesspool, sump, sough, cloaca, latrines, drain, sewer, common sewer, Cloacina, dust hole, sty, pigsty, lair, den, Augean stable, sink of corruption, slum, rookery, dirty, filthy, grimy, unclean, impure, soiled, not to be handled with kid gloves, dusty, snuffy, smutty, sooty, smoky, thick, turbid, dreggy, slimy, mussy, slovenly, untidy, messy, uncleanly, unkempt, sluttish, dowdy, draggle-tailed, uncombed, unscoured, unswept, unwiped, unwashed, unstrained, unpurified, squalid, lutose, slammocky, slummocky, sozzly, nasty, coarse, foul, offensive, abominable, beastly, reeky, reechy, fetid, decayed, moldy, musty, mildewed, rusty, moth-eaten, mucid, rancid, weak, bad, gone bad, etercoral, lentiginous, touched, fusty, effete, reasty, rotten, corrupt, tainted, high, flyblown, maggoty, putrid, putrefactive, putrescent, putrefied, saprogenic, saprogenous, purulent, carious, peccant, fecal, feculent, stercoraceous, excrementitious, scurfy, scurvy, impetiginous, gory, bloody, rotting, rotten as a pear, rotten as cheese, crapulous, gross, fimetarious, fimicolous, they that touch pitch will be defiled.For further exploring for "louse" in Webster Dictionary Online
