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

They walked past me as if I had cooties, or stared with disdain from inside the restaurant like I was a chupacabra.

From Los Angeles Times

There were even ads for the documentary of her "Eras" tour this summer, rubbing girl cooties all over the NFL, at least in right wing eyes.

From Salon

The racist commentary concerns me more than the “boys have cooties” kind of comments.

From Washington Post

Gays being seen as essentially having cooties is very on the nose here.

From Salon

Higgins, who works in health care and risks covid-19 exposure on the job, sought out activities that give her dedicated time for herself and “not expose other people to all my cooties,” she says.

From Washington Post

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