Introduction

The word cooties first shows up in English in British Army slang during World War 1, and meant "lice". This could have been borrowed from any number of descendants of Malayo-Polynesian *kutu: "louse", but most likely either Malay or Māori.

Hawaiʻian sound changes hit *kutu pretty hard, becoming ʻuku: "flea" (or by extension "tiny"). One way or another ʻuku is the presumed origin of ʻukulele, which appears to be ʻuku + lele → "jumping flea".

This also looks like another Sino-Austronesian/Southeast Asian area word, with root *-tsu and derivations *s-tsu (giving Sino-Tibetan *s-tsu: "itch, scratch") and *C-tsu (giving Austroensian *kutsu: "louse"), and various other Southeast Asia forms.

Teaser

cootie, ukulele

Full Text

• Sino-Austronesian *-tsu

  • Sino-Austronesian *s-tsu

    • Sino-Tibetan *s-tsu itch, scratch

      • Sintic

        • Old Chinese *s-tsˤu *suː to scratch

          • Middle Chinese 搔 saw to scratch

            • Cantonese 搔 sou¹ to scratch
            • Mandarin 搔 sāo to scratch
          • Old Chinese *suːʔ to brush, to sweep

            • Middle Chinese 掃 sawˣ

              • Cantonese 掃 sou³
              • Mandarin 掃 sǎo to sweep, to clear away, to conquer, to scan, to paint

                • Mandarin 掃描 sǎomiáo to scan

                  • Mandarin 掃描電子顯微鏡 sǎomiáo diànzǐ xiǎnwēijìng scanning electron microscope
              • Japanese 掃 / そう sō to sweep
      • Sal

        • Boro सु su- to itch
      • Tibeto-Burman

        • Chepang साव्‌सा / सोस्‌सा saw- sos- to itch
  • Sino-Austronesian *C-tsu

    • Austroasiatic *ciʔ head louse

      • Mon-Khmer *ciːʔ

        • Khmeric

          • Khmer ចៃ cay louse, mite, parasite
        • Vietic *ciːʔ

          • Vietnamese chí / chấy head louse
        • Monic

          • Mon စဲ cay louse
    • Austronesian *kutsu *kutsux louse, head louse

      • Bunun kutu / kutuh head louse
      • East Formosan

        • Amis koto louse
        • Kavalan qutu head louse

          • Kavalan sa-qutu to have head lice
          • Kavalan mqi-qutu to de-louse
      • Northwest Formosan

        • Pazeh kusu head louse
        • Saisiyat koso koso' louse, head louse
      • Paiwan kucu head louse
      • Puyuma kutru head louse
      • Rukai kucu
      • Malayo-Polynesian *kutu louse

        • Bajau kutu
        • Bornean

          • Ngaju guti head louse
        • Chamorro hutu louse
        • Javanese kutu

          • Javanese kutu-kutu / ke-kutu small insects as a class
          • Malayo-Sumbawan

            • Bali-Sasak

              • Bali kutu louse
              • Sasak gutu
            • Malayic

              • Iban kutu louse, flea

                • Iban kutu api sparks from a fire
              • Malay kutu louse, flea, bedbug, tick, parasite

                • English cootie / cooties
        • Oceanic *kutu louse

          • Admiralty Islands

            • Loniu kut louse
            • Wuvulu fou'u fuau'u
          • Fijian kutu louse
          • Wayan kutu head louse

            • Wayan kutu ni tui flea "dog louse"
          • Micronesian

            • Chuukese kúú louse, flea
            • Kiribati uti / te uti louse
            • Marshallese kij louse, flea, parasite, bug, germ
            • Nauruan iwi
            • Woleai giusiu louse, vermin
          • Polynesian *kutu louse

            • Niuafoʻou kutu louse
            • Nuclear Polynesian *kutu louse

              • Eastern Polynesian *kutu louse

                • Marquesic

                  • Hawaiʻian ʻuku louse, flea

                    • Hawaiʻian ʻuku / ʻuʻuku small, tiny, few

                      • Hawaiʻian ʻukulele ukulele

                        • English ukulele
                        • Māori kuturere ukulele
                    • Hawaiʻian ʻukulele ukulele

                      • see above
                  • Mangarevan kutu louse
                • Rapa Nui kutu louse
                • Tahitic

                  • Cook Islands Māori kutu louse
                  • Māori kutu louse

                    • English cootie / cooties
                    • Māori kuturere ukulele
                  • Tahitian ʻutu louse
              • Samoan-Outlier

                • Ellicean

                  • Takuu kutu louse, flea
                  • Tikopia kutu head louse
                  • Tuvaluan kutu louse
                • Futunic

                  • Anuta kutu louse
                • Samoic

                  • Samoan ʻutu louse, head louse
            • Tongic

              • Niuēan kutu louse, flea
              • Tongan kutu louse
          • Southeast Solomonic

            • ꞌAreꞌare ū louse, flea
            • Bughotu ɣutu gutu louse
            • Gela ɣutu gutu louse
          • Southern Oceanic

            • North Vanuatu

              • Mota wut louse
              • Raga gutu louse
        • Philippine

          • Cebuano kuto parasite, esp. head louse
          • Central Philippine

            • Tagalog kuto louse
          • Ilokano kuto louse
          • Manobo kutu head louse

            • Manobo kutu-kutu sparks from a fire
          • Sangir kutu louse
        • South Halmahera–West New Guinea

          • Maʼya ꞌu³t louse
          • Moor kúʔa louse
        • Sundanese kutu louse, flea

          • Sundanese kutu-kutu insects
        • Timoric

          • Luang utu louse
          • Tetun utu louse

            • Tetun rai utun earthworm
    • Hmong-Mien *ntshjeiX head louse

      • Mien

        • Iu Mien nzeiv head louse
    • Kra-Dai

      • Proto-Hlai *Cuʈʂhuː

        • Hlai ʈʂʰow¹ fow¹
      • Kra *C-ʈuᴬ

        • Paha ðu³³ louse
      • Lakkia kjou louse
      • Tai *trawᴬ head louse

        • Northern Tai

          • Zhuang raeu head louse
        • Southwestern Tai

          • Thai เหา hǎo louse, head louse
    • Sino-Tibetan

      • Sintic

        • Old Chinese *tsˤuʔ *ʔsuːʔ flea

          • Middle Chinese 蚤 tsawˣ flea

            • Mandarin 蚤 zǎo flea
  • Sino-Austronesian *(?)-tsu-(k?)

    • Austroasiatic

      • Mon-Khmer

        • Khmeric

          • Old Khmer sook
        • Old Chinese *sˤu *suː

          • Middle Chinese 騷 saw to bother, to annoy, to harass, provocative, flirtatious, grieved, sad

            • Cantonese 騷 sou¹

              • Mandarin 騷 sāo
    • Sino-Tibetan

      • Old Chinese *sˤu *suː

        • see above

Visual

Collected English words

cootie, ukulele