laugh
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
laugh
- /lɐːf/ Australia
- /lɑːf/ UK
- /laf/ Northern England, Scotland
- /læf/ US
Rhymes with -ɑːf, -æf
Where it comes from
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *klek-
Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną
Proto-West Germanic *hlahhjan
Old English hliehhander.
Old English hlæhhan
Middle English laughen, laghen
English laugh
From Middle English laughen, laghen, from (Anglian) Old English hlæhhan, hlehhan, (West Saxon) hliehhan, from Proto-West Germanic *hlahhjan, from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną.
Cognates
Germanic: Scots lauch (“to laugh”), Yola leeigh, leigh (“to laugh”), North Frisian laache, lachi, laake, loache, lååke (“to laugh”), Saterland Frisian laachje (“to laugh”), West Frisian laitsje (“to laugh”), Alemannic German lache (“to laugh”), Cimbrian lachan (“to laugh”), Dutch, German, and Low German lachen (“to laugh”), Luxembourgish laachen (“to laugh”), Yiddish לאַכן (lakhn, “to laugh”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish le (“to laugh”), Elfdalian läa (“to laugh”), Faroese læa (“to laugh”), Icelandic hlæja (“to laugh”), Norwegian Nynorsk le, læ, læja (“to laugh”), Crimean Gothic lachen (“to laugh”), Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hlahjan, “to laugh”).
Indo-European: Breton kloc'h (“bell”), Irish clog (“bell; clock”), Manx and Scottish Gaelic clag (“bell”), Welsh cloch (“bell”), Russian клекота́ть (klekotátʹ), клокота́ть (klokotátʹ), клохта́ть (kloxtátʹ, “to cluck, cackle”).
noun laughs · laff · laughe · larf
- An expression of mirth particular to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter. And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind.
- Something that provokes mirth or scorn. “And this rug,” he says, stomping on an old rag carpet. “How much do you suppose that cost?” ¶ It was my first guess, so I said fifty dollars. ¶ “That’s a laugh,” he said. “I paid two thousand for that rug.”
- A fun person. a good laugh
verb laughs · laughing · laughed · laugh
- To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and eyes, and usually accompanied by the emission of explosive or chuckling sounds from the chest and throat; to indulge in laughter. There were many laughing children running on the school grounds.
- To be or appear cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport. The green ſtem grows in ſtature and in ſize, / But only feeds with hope the farmer's eyes; / Then laughs the childiſh year with flow'rets crowned, / And laviſhly prefumes the fields around, / But no ſubſtantial nouriſhment receives, / Infirm the ſtalks, unſolid are the leaves.
- To make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride; to mock. Don't laugh at my new hat, man!
- To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule. Will you laugh me aſleepe, for I am very heauy.
- To express by, or utter with, laughter. From his deepe cheſt laughes out a lowd applauſe, [...]
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