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
- A small parasitic wingless insect of the order...
Ancestry of “louse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | lous | louse; A person or thing worthy of contempt or... |
| 2 | Old English | lūs | — |
| 3 | West Germanic | *lūs | — |
| 4 | Germanic | *lūs | — |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lewH- | louse |
Words derived from “louse”