Where does “lice” come from?

lice (English) comes from Middle English lys, from Old English lȳs.

lice (English): plural of louse

Definitions

  1. plural of louse

Ancestry of “lice”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlysplural of lous
2Old Englishlȳs—

Words derived from “lice”

Every word from Old English lȳs →Every word from Middle English lys →