Pricklouse
//ˈpɹɪklaʊs// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A tailor. archaic, derogatory
"When she was under Water, and could call him Pricklouse no longer with her Lips, she held up her Hands over her Head"
- 2 A lousy person. archaic, derogatory
"that woman […] by no threats or stripes would leave to call her husband pricke-lowse [translating pouilleux], and being cast into a pond and duckt under water, lifted up her hands, and joyning her two thumbs-nailes in act to kill lice above her head, seemed to call him lousie still […]."
Example
More examples"When she was under Water, and could call him Pricklouse no longer with her Lips, she held up her Hands over her Head"
Etymology
From prick + louse.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.