Where does “cootie” come from?

cootie (English) comes from English coot, from Middle English cote, from Old English cote, from Old English cot, from Proto-Germanic kuttô, from Proto-Indo-European gudnó-.

cootie (English): A louse; Any germ or contaminant, real or...

Definitions

  1. A louse; Any germ or contaminant, real or...

Ancestry of “cootie”, step by step

cootie traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English coot

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishcootAny of various aquatic birds of the genus...
2Middle EnglishcoteA coat, especially one worn as an undergarment or...
3Old Englishcotecot, cottage
4Old Englishcotcottage
5Proto-Germanickuttôcowl, woolen cloth, coat
6Proto-Indo-Europeangudnó-—

via Malay kutu

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Malaykutulouse; partner, ally
2Proto-Malayickutulouse
3Proto-Malayo-Polynesiankutulouse
4Proto-Austronesian*kuCuxlouse insect
Every word from Proto-Indo-European gudnó- →