laughter
English
/ˈlɑːftə/, /ˈlæftɚ/
noun
Definitions
- The sound of laughing, produced by air so expelled; any similar sound.
- A movement (usually involuntary) of the muscles of the laughing face, particularly of the lips, and of the whole body, with a peculiar expression of the eyes, indicating merriment, satisfaction or derision, and usually attended by a sonorous and interrupted expulsion of air from the lungs.
- (archaic) A reason for merriment.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English laughter inherited from Old English hleahtor (derision, jubilation, laughter) inherited from Proto-Germanic *hlahtraz (laughter) derived from Proto-Indo-European *klek- (laugh, cackle).
Origin
Proto-Indo-European
*klek-
Gloss
laugh, cackle
Concept
Semantic Field
Emotions and values
Ontological Category
Action/Process
Emoji
😂 😅 😆 🤣 😹
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- horse English
- horselaughter English
- lack English
- lack-laughter English
- laughterful English
- laughterless English
- laughtersome English
- prelaughter English
- underlaughter English
- Gelächter German
- *klek- Proto-Indo-European
- lått Norwegian Bokmål
- *hlahtraz Proto-Germanic
- lått Norwegian Nynorsk
- hleahtor Old English
- laughter Middle English
- underlaughteren Middle English
- hlátr Old Norse
- latter Danish
- latterlig Danish
- lahtar Old High German
- gelehter Middle High German
- *klokkos Proto-Celtic