Definition

1. Verb:
   • To remove lice or other parasitic insects from a person, animal, object, or place.
   • (Figurative) To remove something harmful, dangerous, or unwanted from a system or situation.

Usage

• The primary use of "delouse" is in the context of hygiene, health, and pest control. It describes a specific cleaning action.
• It is a transitive verb, requiring a direct object (e.g., delouse , delouse ).
• The figurative use is less common and typically implies a thorough cleansing or removal of a problematic element.

Examples

• Literal Usage:

  • The medical team had to delouse the refugees upon their arrival at the camp.
  • Before entering the kennel, all dogs are deloused as a standard procedure.
  • They deloused the infested bedding by washing it in very hot water.

• Figurative Usage:

  • The new CEO's first task was to delouse the company of its corrupt management practices.
  • The software update aims to delouse the operating system of critical security vulnerabilities.

Advanced Usage

• "to delouse oneself": To perform the act of removing lice from one's own body or belongings.
  • After the hiking trip, he had to thoroughly delouse himself.

Variants and Related Words

• Delousing (n): The act or process of removing lice.
  • The delousing of the soldiers was a necessary but unpleasant task.
• Louse (n): The parasitic insect that is removed. (Plural: Lice)

Synonyms

• Disinfest: To rid of pests, especially insects.
• Decontaminate: To make safe by removing harmful substances (broader term, can include biological agents).
• Cleanse: To make thoroughly clean (general term).

Phrasal Verbs

(This word does not commonly form phrasal verbs.)

Related Idioms

(There are no common idioms directly using the word "delouse".)

Verb

1. free of lice
   • They deloused the prisoners after they liberated the camps