cootie

or coot·y

[ koo-tee ]

/ ˈku ti /

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See synonyms for cootie on Thesaurus.com

noun plural coot·ies.Informal.

a louse, especially one affecting humans, as the body louse, head louse, or pubic louse.

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.

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Origin of cootie

1910–15; perhaps <Malay kutu biting body louse, with final syllable conformed to -ie

Words nearby cootie

Coos, Coos Bay, coot, cootch, cooter, cootie, cooty, Coover, co-own, cooze, cop

Other definitions for cootie (2 of 2)

cootie²

or coot·y

[ koo-tee ]

/ ˈku ti /

noun Scot.

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

Origin of cootie

1775–85; variant of Scots cood, of uncertain origin

How to use cootie in a sentence

The complicated microstructures that create the mirrors might, for instance, reduce the danger of cracks or fungal cooties.
Mirror beetles’ shiny bodies may not act as camouflage after all|Susan Milius|March 9, 2022|Science News
Can you instruct someone how to make an origami ‘cootie catcher’ with just words?
Can You Answer These 10 Oddball Job Interview Questions Asked at America’s Top Tech Companies?|Brian Ries|January 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
About a year later, I wrote another piece for Slate with the headline, “ The Cootie Factor.”
The Resurrection of Tom Cruise|Kim Masters|May 1, 2009|DAILY BEAST
They found that the underwear was indeed death to the cootie.
America's Munitions 1917-1918|Benedict Crowell

There I made my first acquaintance with the now justly famous "cootie."
Average Americans|Theodore Roosevelt
The tale is even told of cootie fights during long, rainy winter evenings which must be spent indoors.
Down the Mother Lode|Vivia Hemphill
A woman of Iowa invented cootie-proof underclothing by impregnating underwear with vermin-destroying chemicals.
America's Munitions 1917-1918|Benedict Crowell
This was probably so there would be no chance of a stray cootie getting into our new outfit.
In the Flash Ranging Service|Edward Alva Trueblood

British Dictionary definitions for cootie

cootie

/ (ˈkuːtɪ) /

noun

US and NZ a slang name for the body louseAlso called (NZ): kutu See louse (def. 1)

Word Origin for cootie

C20: perhaps from Malay or Māori kutu louse

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cootie

or coot·y

Origin of cootie

Words nearby cootie

Other definitions for cootie (2 of 2)

or coot·y

Origin of cootie

Words related to cootie

How to use cootie in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cootie

Word Origin for cootie