Cooties is a word in North American English, used by children, referring to a fictitious disease or condition, often infecting members of the opposite sex.[1] One catches cooties through any form of bodily contact, close proximity, contact with an infected person's possessions, or third-party transmission. In prepubescent children, it serves as a device for enforcing separation of the sexes. An older person may jokingly refer to cooties when talking about awkwardness toward sex and relationships.
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