What does delouse mean?
To delouse is to remove lice or other parasitic insects from a person, animal, clothing, or living space. The verb combines the prefix 'de-', indicating removal, with the noun 'louse', making its meaning transparently literal: to free someone or something of these bloodsucking pests. Historically, delousing was a routine necessity in armies, prisons, refugee camps, and anywhere people lived in crowded conditions, since body lice spread diseases such as typhus; dedicated 'delousing stations' were standard features of military life well into the twentieth century. Today the word survives most often in veterinary, medical, and historical contexts — pets are deloused with medicated shampoos, and accounts of wartime camps frequently mention mass delousing procedures. By extension, the term can be used figuratively, if somewhat humorously, to describe purging an organization of corruption or undesirable elements. Though unglamorous, delouse is precise and evocative, carrying unmistakable connotations of infestation and hygiene.
verbTo remove lice or other parasitic insects from a person, animal, or object; more broadly, to rid something thoroughly of vermin.
- To remove lice or other parasitic insects from a person, animal, or thing.
- (Figurative) To rid a place, organization, or system of unwanted or corrupt elements.
"The shelter required all new arrivals to shower and be deloused before entering the dormitory."
"Refugees were carefully deloused at the border before being admitted to the camp."
"He promised to delouse the department of its entrenched bureaucracy."
In mid-20th-century army slang, 'delousing' became a euphemism for a soldier's long-overdue bath and haircut.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of delouse
Delouse is formed within English from the prefix 'de-' (indicating removal) plus 'louse', which derives from Old English 'lūs', cognate with Dutch 'luis' and German 'Laus'. The verb arose in the early nineteenth century, when hygiene practices in armies and institutions made such a term practical. Its relatives include 'lousy' and 'lousiness', both built on the same Old English root.
Related word forms
How delouse is actually used
Mostly used in formal, medical, military, or historical contexts, often in the passive ('was deloused'). The figurative sense of cleansing an institution is rarer and slightly jocular.
Easily confused with delouse
Defuse means to remove a fuse from a bomb or reduce tension, while delouse means to remove lice or vermin.