cootie

1

or coot·y

[ koo-tee ]
See synonyms for cootie on Thesaurus.com
nounplural coot·ies.Informal.
  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.

Origin of cootie

1
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 (compare as lousy as a coot “infested with lice”)

Other definitions for cootie (2 of 2)

cootie2

or coot·y

[ koo-tee ]

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

Origin of cootie

2
First recorded in 1775–85; variant of Scots cood, of uncertain origin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use cootie in a sentence

  • If only the "cooties" could have been destroyed in the same way, the Germans might have been forgiven many of their offenses.

    Inventions of the Great War | A. Russell (Alexander Russell) Bond

British Dictionary definitions for cootie

cootie

/ (ˈkuːtɪ) /


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

Origin of cootie

1
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