head lousen.
/ˈhɛd laʊs/, U.S. /ˈhɛd ˌlaʊs/ Usually in plural. A parasitic louse of the subspecies Pediculus humanus capitis, which infests the hair of the human head and is now especially common in schoolchildren. Cf. nit n.1 1a.The head louse is now regarded as being of the same species as the body louse.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > subclass Pterygota > [noun] > division Exopterygota or Hemimetabola > group Anoplura > order Siphunculata > member of genus Pediculus (louse) > pediculus capitis (head-louse)
head louse1547
1547 A. Borde Breuiary of Helthe i. f. Cviv Heed lyce, body lyce, crabbe lyce.
1688 R. Holme Acad. Armory ii. ix. 198/2 There is the Head-Louse, which is of a brown, or yellowish brown colour, with some black on the back, it keeps onely to the Head.
1711 C. Lockyer Acct. Trade India ix. 283 They are not so brisk as other Ants, but dull, and short-legg'd, like large Head Lice.
1840 Med. Times 24 Oct. 45/2 Insects of a dark colour, of the same species as head-lice, but of slower movements.
1861 R. T. Hulme tr. C. H. Moquin-Tandon Elements Med. Zool. ii. vi. i. 292 The Head (or Common) Louse..is found on the head, in people who are neglectful of their person.
1919 L. Lloyd Lice vi. 74 Head-lice..are irritated by heat..and the hot comb approaching makes them become active.
1948 L. E. H. Whitby Nurses' Handbk. Hygiene (ed. 8) v. 129 Pediculus corporis, the body louse, lives on the body or clothing. It is somewhat larger than the head louse.
1996 Independent 14 Oct. i. 8/5 Household products like flea powders for pets and headlice treatments for children.
2003 Atlantic Monthly Jan. 44/1 Our five-year-old daughter was sent home from pre-K because she had head lice.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2013; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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