Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [noun lous; verb lous, louz]
- /noun laʊs; verb laʊs, laʊz/
- /laʊs/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
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- [noun lous; verb lous, louz]
- /noun laʊs; verb laʊs, laʊz/
Definitions of louse word
- noun plural louse any small, wingless insect of the order Anoplura (sucking louse) parasitic on humans and other mammals and having mouthparts adapted for sucking, as Pediculus humanus (body louse or head louse) and Phthirius pubis (crab louse or pubic louse) 1
- noun plural louse any insect of the order Mallophaga (bird louse, biting louse, or chewing louse) parasitic on birds and mammals, having mouthparts adapted for biting. 1
- noun plural louse plant louse. 1
- noun plural louse Slang. a contemptible person, especially an unethical one. 1
- verb with object louse to delouse. 1
- noun louse A small, wingless, parasitic insect that lives on the skin of mammals and birds. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of louse
First appearance:
before 900 One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; 1910-15 for def 4; Middle English lous(e), luse, plural lise, lice; Old English lūs, plural lȳs; cognate with Dutch luis, German Laus, Old Norse lūs
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Louse
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
louse popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 97% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
louse usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for louse
noun louse
- rat — any of several long-tailed rodents of the family Muridae, of the genus Rattus and related genera, distinguished from the mouse by being larger.
- scoundrel — an unprincipled, dishonorable person; villain.
- knave — an unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest person.
- cad — CAD refers to the use of computer software in the design of things such as cars, buildings, and machines. CAD is an abbreviation for 'computer aided design'.
- cootie — Cooties are the same as lice.
verb louse
- bollix — to make a muddle of; bungle; botch
- snafued — a badly confused or ridiculously muddled situation: A ballot snafu in the election led to a recount. Synonyms: snarl, bedlam, tumult, disarray, disorder, confusion, mess; foul-up. Antonyms: order, efficiency, calm.
- screw up — a metal fastener having a tapered shank with a helical thread, and topped with a slotted head, driven into wood or the like by rotating, especially by means of a screwdriver.
- goof up — to blunder; make an error, misjudgment, etc.
- flubbed — a blunder.
Top questions with louse
- what is a louse?
- what does louse mean?