Phrase guide

head louse

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A parasitic insect, Pediculus humanus capitis, which lives among the hairs on the head of a human and feeds on blood.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

infests the head and body of humans

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Pediculus capitis

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: louse, sucking louse

History

Etymology

From head + louse. Compare North Frisian hoodlüs (“headlouse”), Dutch hoofdluis (“headlouse”), Swedish huvudlus (“headlouse”), Icelandic höfuðlús (“headlouse”).

Across languages

Translations

40 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: poll del cabell — insect
  • Chepang: स्रय्क् — insect
  • Chepang: सेक् — insect
  • Chinese Mandarin: 頭蝨 /头虱 (tóushī) — insect
  • Danish: hovedlus — insect
  • Estonian: peatäi — insect
  • Faroese: høvuðlús — insect
  • Finnish: päätäi — insect
  • German: Kopflaus — insect
  • Hindi: जूँ (jū̃) — insect
  • Igala: íná — insect
  • Irish: treaghdán — insect
  • Irish: míol gruaige — insect
  • Irish: babhdaí — insect
  • Italian: pidocchio del capo — insect
  • Japanese: 人虱 (hitojirami) — insect
  • S'gaw Karen: သူၣ် (thoò) — insect
  • Khasi: ksi — insect
  • Korean: 머릿니 (meorinni) — insect
  • Lao: ເຫົາ (hao) — insect
  • Macedonian: во́шка (vóška) — insect
  • Norwegian Bokmål: hodelus — insect
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: hovudlus — insect
  • Pazeh: kusu — insect
  • Portuguese: piolho-da-cabeça — insect
  • Romanian: păduche de cap — insect
  • Russian: головна́я вошь (golovnája vošʹ) — insect
  • Saaroa: kucu'u — insect
  • Shan: ႁဝ် (hǎo) — insect
  • Spanish: piojo de la cabeza — insect
  • Swedish: huvudlus — insect
  • Thai: เหา (hǎo) — insect
  • Unami: xaihu — insect
  • Vietnamese: chấy — insect
  • Vietnamese: chí — insect
  • Welsh: lleuen pen — insect
  • Yoruba: iná — insect
  • Yurok: mohkoh — insect
  • Zaghawa: we — insect
  • Zhuang: raeu — insect