cootie

¹

or coot·y

[ koo-tee ]

noun

, Informal.

, plural coot·ies.

1. a louse, especially one affecting humans, as the body louse, head louse, or pubic louse.
2. a child's term for an imaginary germ or disease that one can catch by touching a person who is disliked or socially avoided:

   The girls at camp thought the boys had cooties.

cootie

²

or coot·y

[ koo-tee ]

noun

, Scot.

1. a wooden container, especially a wooden bowl, for storing or serving food or drink.

cootie

/ ˈkuːtɪ /

noun

1. a slang name for the body louse Also called (NZ)kutu See louse

Word History and Origins

Origin of cootie¹

First recorded in 1910–15; of disputed origin; perhaps from Malay kutu “louse” (akin to Chamorro hutu, Hawaiian 'uku, Maori kutu, Tagalog kuto ), with final syllable conformed to -ie; perhaps an elaboration of obsolete coot “louse,” after coot ( def ) (compare as lousy as a coot “infested with lice”)

Origin of cootie²

First recorded in 1775–85; variant of Scots cood, of uncertain origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of cootie¹

C20: perhaps from Malay or Māori kutu louse

Example Sentences

The complicated microstructures that create the mirrors might, for instance, reduce the danger of cracks or fungal cooties.

From Science News

Can you instruct someone how to make an origami ‘cootie catcher’ with just words?

From The Daily Beast

About a year later, I wrote another piece for Slate with the headline, “ The Cootie Factor.”

From The Daily Beast

They found that the underwear was indeed death to the cootie.

From Project Gutenberg

There I made my first acquaintance with the now justly famous "cootie."

From Project Gutenberg

The tale is even told of cootie fights during long, rainy winter evenings which must be spent indoors.

From Project Gutenberg

A woman of Iowa invented cootie-proof underclothing by impregnating underwear with vermin-destroying chemicals.

From Project Gutenberg

This was probably so there would be no chance of a stray cootie getting into our new outfit.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• ant
• aphid
• bee
• beetle
• butterfly
• cockroach
• dragonfly
• flea
• fruit fly
• gnat
• grasshopper
• ladybug
• mite
• mosquito
• moth
• pest
• spider
• termite
• tick