cootie

¹ American  

[koo-tee] / ˈku ti /

Or cooty

noun

Informal.

PLURAL

cooties

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.

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cootie ² American  

[koo-tee] / ˈku ti /

Or cooty

noun

Scot.

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

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cootie British  

/ ˈkuːtɪ /

noun

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

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Etymology

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 cootie¹

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

Example Sentences

On its surface, it was mostly a bunch of young gamers having a year-long tantrum because they didn't want women getting girl cooties on their video games.

From Salon

So instead, he's leaning hard into the "girl cooties" argument of CFPB, tweeting invective at Warren and calling her "Senator Karen," in case the sexist implications weren't blunt enough.

From Salon

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

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