louse Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun wingless usually flattened bloodsucking insect parasitic on warm-blooded animals
    sucking louse.
  2. noun a person who has a nasty or unethical character undeserving of respect
    dirt ball; insect; worm.
  3. noun any of several small insects especially aphids that feed by sucking the juices from plants
    plant louse.
  4. noun wingless insect with mouth parts adapted for biting; mostly parasitic on birds
    biting louse; bird louse.

WordNet

Louse noun
Etymology
OE. lous, AS. ls, pl. ls; akin to D. luis, G. laus, OHG. ls, Icel. ls, Sw. lus, Dan. luus; perh. so named because it is destructive, and akin to E. lose, loose.
Wordforms
plural Lice
Definitions
(Zoöl.)
  1. 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 (P. vestimenti), and the crab louse (Phthirius pubis), and many others. See Crab louse, Dog louse, Cattle louse, etc., under Crab, Dog, etc.
  2. 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.
  3. Any one of the numerous species of aphids, or plant lice. See Aphid.
  4. Any small crustacean parasitic on fishes. See Branchiura, and Ichthvophthira. ✍ The term is also applied to various other parasites; as, the whale louse, beelouse, horse louse.
Louse transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To clean from lice. "You sat and loused him." Swift.

Webster 1913