Etymology

cootie

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Today it means: A louse (Pediculus humanus). Full definition →

Malay kutu
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The story

  1. Malay · derived fromkutu“flea, louse”
  2. English todaycootie

Probably from Malay kutu (“flea, louse”) (and/or Tagalog/Māori). First attested in English in 1917 as British army slang during World War I.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.