body louse
- noun
- /ˈbɑdi laʊs/
- Specialized
:
piojo del cuerpo
- The outbreak of body lice in the school prompted the administration to conduct a health inspection.
That's how bad he got body lice.
- That's how bad he got body lice.
Examples
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You can take a shower once a day, check yourself for fungus and body lice.
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To prevent the spread of disease, it is important to regularly check for body lice in crowded living conditions.
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After camping for several days, she discovered that she had gotten body lice from her sleeping bag.
Synonyms
3
6.7
A small insect that lives on hair or fur and drinks blood
A small insect called the body louse that lives on people's bodies and causes strong itching
A small insect that lives on people and drinks their blood
A small insect that lives on people's hair or clothing and feeds on blood
A small insect that lives on the head or body of people and drinks their blood
A small wingless insect that lives on birds or mammals and drinks their blood
How Many
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: a 'body louse' is simply a louse associated with the body (i.e. living on a person's body or clothing), so a learner who knows 'body' and 'louse' can infer the referent. This noun–noun compound pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows a transparent locative/associative logic, making it readily understandable to B1 learners.
Etymology
Body louse is a very literal name: body points to the person and the clothes close to the skin, and louse is a small biting insect. These insects 'live in clothing' and feed on blood, so the name became used for the kind of louse that stays on the body and can spread disease.