Louse \Louse\ (lous), n.; pl. Lice (l[imac]s). [OE. lous, AS.
l[=u]s, pl. l[=y]s; akin to D. luis, G. laus, OHG. l[=u]s,
Icel. l[=u]s, Sw. lus, Dan. luus; perh. so named because it
is destructive, and akin to E. lose, loose.] (Zool.)
1. Any one of numerous species of small, wingless, suctorial,
parasitic insects belonging to a tribe (Pediculina), now
usually regarded as degraded Hemiptera. To this group
belong of the lice of man and other mammals; as, the head
louse of man (Pediculus capitis), the body louse
(Pediculus vestimenti), and the crab louse (Phthirius
pubis), and many others. See Crab louse, Dog louse,
Cattle louse, etc., under Crab, Dog, etc.
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2. Any one of numerous small mandibulate insects, mostly
parasitic on birds, and feeding on the feathers. They are
known as Mallophaga, or bird lice, though some occur on
the hair of mammals. They are usually regarded as degraded
Pseudoneuroptera. See Mallophaga.
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3. Any one of the numerous species of aphids, or plant lice.
See Aphid.
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4. Any small crustacean parasitic on fishes. See
Branchiura, and Ichthvophthira.
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Note: The term is also applied to various other parasites;
as, the whale louse, beelouse, horse louse.
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Louse fly (Zool.), a parasitic dipterous insect of the
group Pupipara. Some of them are wingless, as the bee
louse.
Louse mite (Zool.), any one of numerous species of mites
which infest mammals and birds, clinging to the hair and
feathers like lice. They belong to Myobia,
Dermaleichus, Mycoptes, and several other genera.
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Lice
(Heb. kinnim), the creatures employed in the third plague sent
upon Egypt (Ex. 8:16-18). They were miraculously produced from
the dust of the land. "The entomologists Kirby and Spence place
these minute but disgusting insects in the very front rank of
those which inflict injury upon man. A terrible list of examples
they have collected of the ravages of this and closely allied
parasitic pests." The plague of lice is referred to in Ps.
105:31.
Some have supposed that the word denotes not lice properly,
but gnats. Others, with greater probability, take it to mean the
"tick" which is much larger than lice.
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