The egg or nit of a louse, especially the protective case containing louse eggs that clings to hair.
From Old English 'gnyd' and Proto-Germanic '*gnitaz,' related to Old Norse 'gnit.' The word has remained largely unchanged for over a thousand years, showing how parasites have plagued humans consistently enough to keep ancient words alive.
The word 'gnide' is so old it's practically a fossil—it's been around since the earliest Germanic languages, which tells you that head lice have been annoying humans for at least 2,000 years, making them true survivors of human history.
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