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Glite Dictionary
fish louse

fish louse

9.5
A small animal that lives on fish and eats their blood or skin
  • noun
  • /fɪʃ laʊs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : piojo de pescado
  • A single fish louse can cause severe irritation and damage to its host.

Examples

  • The salmon farm had to be shut down due to a fish louse infestation.

  • Biologists studied the effects of the fish louse on different species of freshwater fish.

  • The fish louse can cause serious harm to its host.

  • Many aquarists are concerned about fish lice in their tanks.

  • The salmon farm had to be shut down due to a fish louse infestation.

  • Biologists studied the effects of the fish louse on different species of freshwater fish.

  • A single fish louse can cause severe irritation and damage to its host.

Synonyms

copepod
vsfish louse
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A very small water animal like a tiny shrimp that swims in plankton or lives on fish

is a parasite that specifically attaches to fish and feeds on blood or skin
sea louse
vsfish louse
  • Specialized
8.9

A small sea animal that lives on fish and sometimes eats dead plants or animals

is focused on attaching and feeding on fish blood or skin rather than debris
lens louse
vsfish louse
  • Specialized
9.9

A small animal that lives on fish in aquariums and harms them

is a marine parasite that lives on wild fish rather than in tanks

Surface Forms

fish louse singular
fish lice plural

Morphology

fish + louse

The meaning is directly compositional: 'fish louse' denotes a louse (a parasitic organism) associated with fish, so a learner who knows 'fish' and 'louse' can infer it. This follows a standard modifier+noun pattern common across languages; even if 'louse' often evokes mammals or birds, the phrase transparently signals a parasite that lives on fish.

Etymology

The noun fish louse is a literal name: the words fish and louse create the image of a tiny parasite clinging to a fish and feeding on its skin or blood. That's why it means 'a small parasite that attaches to fish and feeds on them'.