laughter

Meaning

1. (uncountable, usually) The sound of laughing, produced by air so expelled; any similar sound.
2. (uncountable, usually) 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.
3. (archaic, uncountable, usually) A reason for merriment.

Synonyms

laugh

😆

laughing

😆

smile

😄

guffaw

mirth

amusement

joke

🤣

loud laugh

roar

fun

merriment

joy

😂

jubilation

derision

chuckling

cackle

mirthfulness

mockery

ridicule

sarcasm

belly laugh

belly-laugh

yuks

humour

giggle

giggling

giggles

in-joke

ha ha

joking

Translations

rire

😆

risata

risa

😆

Gelächter

Lachen

riso

gelach

risus

riso

γέλιο

riure

😆

rialla

risa

lachbui

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈlɑːftə/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: laughter

Inherited from Old English: hleahtor

Cognate with German: Gelächter

In summary

From Middle English laughter, laghter, laȝter, from Old English hleahtor (“laughter, jubilation, derision”), from Proto-Germanic *hlahtraz (“laughter”), from Proto-Indo-European *klek-, *kleg- (“to shout”). Cognate with German Gelächter (“laughter, hilarity, merriment”), Danish and Norwegian latter (“laughter”), Icelandic hlátur (“laughter”). More at laugh.