Where does “louse” come from?

Louse comes from Middle English lows, from Old Norse lauss, from Proto-Germanic lausaz, from Proto-Indo-European lewH-.

louse (English): A small parasitic wingless insect of the order...

Definitions

  1. A small parasitic wingless insect of the order...

Ancestry of “louse”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishlouslouse; A person or thing worthy of contempt or...
2Old Englishlūslouse
3West Germanic*lūs—
4Germanic*lūs—
5Proto-Indo-EuropeanlewH-louse

Words derived from “louse”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European lewH- →Every word from Germanic *lūs →Every word from West Germanic *lūs →