Dictionary

louse-ridden en · ADJ

Etymology

From louse + -ridden.

Meanings

1. Full of or infested with lice.
   • During the first few days this disease does not affect the appetite, nor does it affect the general appearance of the bird, it simply appears weak on its legs, but as time goes on it becomes weaker and, not able to get about, it is trampled on and pecked by its mates, and soon becomes thin and louse ridden. 1914, Robert Joos, chapter 37, in Success with Hens, Chicago: Forbes & Co, published 1919, page 181:
   • From the filthy, louse-ridden cells of Russia’s overcrowded prisons has emerged a serial killer that is as devious as it is dangerous. Its name is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and it sallies forth on spumes of sputum each time an infected inmate coughs or sneezes. 2001 January 15, David Bjerklie et al., “Your A to Z Guide to the Year in Medicine”, in Time:

Forms