'Louse' definitions:
Definition of 'louse'
From: WordNet
noun
Wingless usually flattened bloodsucking insect parasitic on warm-blooded animals [syn: louse, sucking louse]
noun
A person who has a nasty or unethical character undeserving of respect [syn: worm, louse, insect, dirt ball]
noun
Any of several small insects especially aphids that feed by sucking the juices from plants [syn: plant louse, louse]
noun
Wingless insect with mouth parts adapted for biting; mostly parasitic on birds [syn: bird louse, biting louse, louse]
Definition of 'Louse'
From: GCIDE
- Louse \Louse\ (lous), n.; pl. Lice (l[imac]s). [OE. lous, AS. l[=u]s, pl. l[=y]s; akin to D. luis, G. laus, OHG. l[=u]s, Icel. l[=u]s, Sw. lus, Dan. luus; perh. so named because it is destructive, and akin to E. lose, loose.] (Zool.)
- 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 (Pediculus vestimenti), and the crab louse ({Phthirius pubis}), and many others. See Crab louse, Dog louse, Cattle louse, etc., under Crab, Dog, etc. [1913 Webster]
- 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. [1913 Webster]
- 3. Any one of the numerous species of aphids, or plant lice. See Aphid. [1913 Webster]
- 4. Any small crustacean parasitic on fishes. See Branchiura, and Ichthvophthira. [1913 Webster]
- Note: The term is also applied to various other parasites; as, the whale louse, beelouse, horse louse. [1913 Webster]
- Louse fly (Zool.), a parasitic dipterous insect of the group Pupipara. Some of them are wingless, as the bee louse.
- Louse mite (Zool.), any one of numerous species of mites which infest mammals and birds, clinging to the hair and feathers like lice. They belong to Myobia, Dermaleichus, Mycoptes, and several other genera. [1913 Webster]
Definition of 'Louse'
From: GCIDE
- Louse \Louse\ (louz), v. t. To clean from lice. "You sat and loused him." --Swift. [1913 Webster]
Words containing 'Louse'
- louse up,
- Bark louse,
- Bee louse,
- Bird louse,
- Body louse,
- Book louse,
- Carp louse,
- Crab louse,
- Dog louse,
- Fish louse,
- Jumping louse,
- Leaf louse,
- Lobster louse,
- Louse fly,
- Louse mite,
- Plant louse,
- Root louse,
- Sea louse,
- Tree louse,
- Vine louse,
- Wall louse,
- Whale louse,
- Wheat louse,
- Wood louse,
- Woolly louse,
- biting louse,
- cattle louse,
- chicken louse,
- common louse,
- grape louse,
- harvest louse,
- head louse,
- horse louse,
- onion louse,
- pubic louse,
- shaft louse,
- sheep louse,
- sucking louse,
- Flea-louse,
- Sea wood louse,
- bark-louse,
- jumping plant louse,
- pill wood louse,
- woolly plant louse