cootie etymology?

[Stephen Goranson]

In a video at OED Appeal Jesse Sheidlower said of cootie: "It comes from a Malay word referring to an insect." That is what OED gives.

On this list there was considerable discussion of the etymology of cooties. If I recall correctly, little support was offered for the Malay proposal.

More support was expressed for a different etymology. Here, for instance, was Jonathan  Lighter:

Re: "as lousy as a coot"
Thu, 9 Jul 2009 11:57:09 -040

What I think happened:

"lousy as a coot" > "cooty" (adj.) = "lousy, as is a coot" >  "coot"
(back-formation)and "cootie" (through mishearing and in other cases as a
diminutive).

JL

***
Also noted at Language Hat:
Update (July 2009). It looks as if the true etymology is less exotic [than Malay]; it's simply an extension of coot (there was a proverbial phrase "as lousy as a coot"). See these American Dialect Society listserv postings:...

Stephen Goranson
www.duke.edu/~goranson

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