cootie (n.) is first attested in 1918 with the meaning "a body louse." It is of unknown origin, possibly related to the regional dialect term "cooty," meaning "louse."
Meaning:
cootie (n.) refers to a small, wingless insect that lives on the skin of humans and other animals, feeding on blood. It can cause a contagious disease known as lice.
Origin:
The exact origin of the term "cootie" is uncertain, but there are several possible explanations:
Slang: The term "cootie" may have originated as slang among soldiers during World War I to refer to body lice, which were a common problem in trench warfare.
Dialect: The term "cooty" was used in some regional dialects of the United States, particularly in the South, to mean "louse."
Onomatopoeia: The term "cootie" may have arisen from the sound made by lice when crawling on clothing.
Loanword: Some linguists suggest that "cootie" may have been borrowed from a Native American language, although there is no definitive evidence for this theory.
