body louse
noun
See under louse(def 1).
Origin of body louse
First recorded in 1565–75
Words nearby body louse
Definition for body 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 body louse
I'm in the right cue now, as brisk as a body-louse, and as merry as a beggar.
Gargantua and Pantagruel, Complete. |Francois RabelaisBrisk as a body-louse she trips,Clean as a penny drest; Sweet as a rose her breath and lips,Round as the globe her breast.
The Book of Humorous Verse |VariousIt is a disease of poverty and war, and is spread largely by the body-louse, as happened in Serbia in 1915.
The Ethics of Medical Homicide and Mutilation |Austin O'Malley
British Dictionary definitions for body 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 body louse (1 of 2)
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.
Medical definitions for body louse (2 of 2)
body louse
n.
A parasitic louse that infests the body and clothes of humans.