Chapter Lossful to Love of L by Webster's Dictionary (1913 Edition)

1. Any one of numerous species of small, wingless, suctorial, parasitic insects belonging to a tribe now usually regarded as degraded Hemiptera. To this group belong of the lice of man and other mammals; as, the head louse of man the body louse and the crab louse and many others. See Crab louse, Dog louse, Cattle louse, etc., under Crab, Dog, etc.

2. Any one of numerous small mandibulate insects, mostly parasitic on birds, and feeding on the feathers. They are known as Mallophaga, or bird lice, though some occur on the hair of mammals. They are usually regarded as degraded Pseudoneuroptera. See Mallophaga.

3. Any one of the numerous species of aphids, or plant lice. See Aphid.

4. Any small crustacean parasitic on fishes. See Branchiura, and Ichthvophthira.

The term is also applied to various other parasites; as, the whale louse, beelouse, horse louse.

Louse fly (Zoöl.), a parasitic dipterous insect of the group Pupipara. Some of them are wingless, as the bee louse. — Louse mite (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of mites which infest mammals and birds, clinging to the hair and feathers like lice. They belong to Myobia, Dermaleichus, Mycoptes, and several other genera.

Louse
(Louse) v. t. To clean from lice. "You sat and loused him." Swift.

Lousewort
(Louse"wort`) n. (Bot.) Any species of Pedicularis, a genus of perennial herbs. It was said to make sheep that fed on it lousy.

Yellow lousewort, a plant of the genus Rhinanthus.

Lousily
(Lous"i*ly) adv. [From Lousy.] In a lousy manner; in a mean, paltry manner; scurvily. [Vulgar]

Lousiness
(Lous"i*ness), n. The state or quality of being lousy.

Lousy
(Lous"y) a.

1. Infested with lice.

2. Mean; contemptible; as, lousy knave. [Vulgar]

Such lousy learning as this is.

Bale.

Lout
(Lout) v. i. [OE. louten, luten, AS. lutan; akin to Icel. luta, Dan. lude, OHG. luzen to lie hid.] To bend; to box; to stoop. [Archaic] Chaucer. Longfellow.

He fair the knight saluted, louting low.

Spenser.

Lout
(Lout), n. [Formerly also written lowt.] A clownish, awkward fellow; a bumpkin. Sir P. Sidney.

Lout
(Lout), v. t. To treat as a lout or fool; to neglect; to disappoint. [Obs.] Shak.

Loutish
(Lout"ish), a. Clownish; rude; awkward. "Loutish clown." Sir P. Sidney. — Lout"ish*ly, adv. — Lout"ish*ness, n.

Loutou
(||Lou*tou") n. [Native names.] (Zoöl.) A crested black monkey (Semnopithecus maurus) of Java.

Louver
(Lou"ver, Lou"vre) n. [OE. lover, OF. lover, lovier; or l'ouvert the opening, fr. overt, ouvert, p. p. of ovrir, ouvrir, to open, F. ouvrir. Cf. Overt.] (Arch.) A small lantern. See Lantern, 2 (a). [Written also lover, loover, lovery, and luffer.]