bird louse
noun
See under louse(def 2).
Origin of bird louse
First recorded in 1820–30
Words nearby bird louse
Definition for bird louse (2 of 2)
louse
[ noun lous; verb lous, louz ]
/ noun laʊs; verb laʊs, laʊz /
noun, plural lice [lahys] /laɪs/ for 1–3, lous·es for 4.
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).
any insect of the order Mallophaga (bird louse, biting louse, or chewing louse), parasitic on birds and mammals, having mouthparts adapted for biting.
Slang.
a contemptible person, especially an unethical one.
verb (used with object), loused, lous·ing.
to delouse.
Verb Phrases
louse up, Slang.
to spoil; botch: Miscasting loused up the movie.
Origin of louse
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
Example sentences from the Web for bird louse
Who could ever imagine that it would feed like a bird-louse and resemble it so closely?
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. IV (of 4) |William Kirby
British Dictionary definitions for bird louse
louse
/ (laʊs) /
noun plural lice (laɪs)
any wingless bloodsucking insect of the order Anoplura: includes Pediculus capitis (head louse), Pediculus corporis (body louse), and the crab louse, all of which infest man
Related adjective: pedicular
biting louse or bird louse
any wingless insect of the order Mallophaga, such as the chicken louse: external parasites of birds and mammals with biting mouthparts
any of various similar but unrelated insects, such as the plant louse and book louse
plural louses slang
an unpleasant or mean person
verb (tr)
to remove lice from
(foll by up) slang
to ruin or spoil
Word Origin for louse
Old English
lūs; related to Old High German, Old Norse
lūs
Medical definitions for bird louse
louse
[ lous ]
n. pl. lice (līs)
Any of numerous small, flat-bodied, wingless biting or sucking insects of the orders Mallophaga or Anoplura, many of which are external parasites on humans.