louse

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“
Men of science deny that the louse is actually engendered by dirt, but it undoubtedly thrives on it.

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Definitions (20)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (3)

  1. noun Any of numerous small, flat-bodied, wingless biting or sucking insects of the orders Mallophaga or Anoplura, many of which are external parasites on various animals, including humans.
  2. noun Slang A mean or despicable person.
  3. transitive verb Slang To bungle: loused the project; louse up a deal.

Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (11)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

Toggle WordNet definitions WordNet (4)

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Examples (50)

  • When he's ready to "man up" about being a louse, then we can begin to address, "reaching across the aisle". —  Think Progress
  • I ranted about how consumers will louse, about how Sony wouldn't lower the price on their players or discs. —  EclipseMagazine
  • Finally they came across the wood-louse, whom they found mentioned in the letter as "maid-servant." —  Italian Popular Tales
  • The different species vary greatly but for these studies any available species will be satisfactory The plant-louse or aphis is a sap-sucking insect which feeds and multiplies rapidly often seriously injuring crops. —  An Elementary Study of Insects
  • The principal enemies of the louse are certain small insect feeding birds, lady-beetles, syrphid-flies, lace-wings and tiny wasp parasites. —  An Elementary Study of Insects
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Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English, from Old English lūs; see lūs- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English lous (plural lis, lise, lys), from Anglo-Saxon lūs (plural ly¯s) = Dutch luis = Old High German Middle High German lūs, German laus = Icelandic lūs = Danish Swedish lus, louse; perhaps literally ‘destroyer’ or ‘damager,’ from the root *lus of loose, lose, loss, etc. Cf. Greek φθείρ, a louse, from φθείρειν, destroy.
  2. from Middle English lousen; from louse, n.
 

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/laʊz/
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