whale louse

noun

A parasitic amphipod crustacean of the family Cyamidae found in skin lesions, genital folds, nostrils and eyes of marine mammals of the order Cetacea, i.e. whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Similar
cyamid
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Meanings

nounwhale louse (plural whale lice)

plural whale lice · alternative whalelouse · alternative whale-louse

  1. A parasitic amphipod crustacean of the family Cyamidae found in skin lesions, genital folds, nostrils and eyes of marine mammals of the order Cetacea, i.e. whales, dolphins and porpoises.

    Crablike whale lice dig deeply into sores and cuts.

    1971 Mar, National Geographic, page 411

    Synonyms: cyamid

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA parasitic amphipod crustacean of the family Cyamidae found in skin lesions, genital folds, nostrils and eyes of marine mammals of the order Cetacea, i.e. whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Similar
cyamid

Translations

Finnish valaantäi
  • valaantäiparasitic crustacean of the family Cyamidae
French pou de baleine
  • pou de baleineparasitic crustacean of the family Cyamidae
Polish wesz wielorybia
  • wesz wielorybiaparasitic crustacean of the family Cyamidae
Russian кито́вая вошь
  • кито́вая вошь (kitóvaja vošʹ)parasitic crustacean of the family Cyamidae
Cite this entry
APA

whale louse. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whale%20louse

MLA

“whale louse.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whale%20louse. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “whale louse,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/whale%20louse.

Source: whale louse on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.