Barklouse

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A tiny soft-bodied insect of the order Psocoptera that feeds on bark, lichen, fungi, or stored plant material
2. A minute winged or wingless insect related to booklice, which grazes on the surfaces of tree bark and lichens
3. A small psocid insect found on tree trunks and branches that feeds on algae, fungi, and dead plant matter

Etymology: "Barklouse" is simply an alternative spelling of "bark louse," a name for a small insect that lives on the bark of trees and feeds on lichens, algae, fungi, and dead plant matter. The insects are tiny, often pale and soft-bodied, and many people encounter them as a swarm of minute creatures scurrying over a trunk or branch. The name is a plain compound: "bark," the outer covering of a tree, combined with "louse," an insect of the same general kind as the lice that infest the skin or hair of animals. The two words are joined in the spelling "barklouse," which reflects the same pairing. The term describes the creature by its habitat and its resemblance to the lice it is named after, nothing more elaborate.