body louse
noun
: a louse feeding primarily on the body
especially
: a sucking louse (Pediculus humanus humanus) feeding on the body and living in the clothing of humans
called also cootie
Examples of body louse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Modern head lice and body lice diverged some 83,000 to 170,000 years ago, based on differences in their DNA.
—
Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2024
Without that bacterium, the body louse is doomed [Nature].
—Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 21 June 2010
Unlike the body louse, the head louse isn’t known to spread disease.
—oregonlive, 28 Nov. 2021
Life in the Australian bush involved intimate encounters with many species, and of course head and body lice were among them. . .
—Kate Darnton, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Mar. 2018
Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 2 Jan. 2024
Without that bacterium, the body louse is doomed [Nature].
—Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 21 June 2010
Unlike the body louse, the head louse isn’t known to spread disease.
—oregonlive, 28 Nov. 2021
Life in the Australian bush involved intimate encounters with many species, and of course head and body lice were among them. . .
—Kate Darnton, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Mar. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'body louse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near body louse
Cite this Entry
“Body louse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/body%20louse. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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