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Glite Dictionary
whale louse

whale louse

9.9
A small sea animal like a tiny crab that lives on the skin of whales
  • noun
  • /weɪl laʊs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : piojo de ballena
  • The whale louse is a small crustacean that attaches itself to the skin of whales.

Examples

  • Researchers studied how the whale louse affects the health of its host whale.

  • Many whale lice can be found living on the bodies of large cetaceans.

  • The huge, pale growths on the headand the lower jaw, called callosities, are home to whale lice that tint them with white, pink,yellow or orange.

    IMAX Dolphins and Whales: Tribes of the Ocean (2008)

Synonyms

genus Cyamus
vswhale louse
  • Specialized
9.9

Small animals like lice that live on whales and feed on their skin

is the common nontechnical name rather than the scientific genus
Cyamus
vswhale louse
  • Specialized
9.9

A small sea animal like a crab that lives on whales and eats their skin

is the everyday name used instead of the taxonomic genus label

Surface Forms

whale louse singular
whale lice plural

Morphology

whale + louse

The compound is transparently compositional: 'whale' (a large marine mammal) + 'louse' (a small parasitic insect) yields a parasite that lives on whales. This follows common noun-noun compounding patterns found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Whale louse names a tiny sea animal that clings to a whale's skin. The word louse makes you think of lice in hair, so the picture of many little creatures holding on helps you remember that it means 'a small parasite on whales'.