Emily Dickinson Lexicon

LOUSE, n. [lous; plur. Lice. Sax. lus, plur. lys; D. luis; G. laus; Sw. and Dan. lus.]

The popular name of a genus of parasitic insects, termed Pediculus, with a flattened body divided into eleven or twelve segments, to three of which is attached a pair of legs, which are short, and terminated by a stout nail or two opposing hooks, which enable these animals to cling with great facility. The mouth consists of a small tubular protuberance situated at the anterior extremity of the heed, in the form of a snout, and containing a sucker when at rest. Their eggs are termed nits in English. Two species infest the bodies of men. Different animals are infested with different species.