Where does “lack-laughter” come from?

lack-laughter (English) comes from English laughter, from Middle English laughter, from Old English hleahtor, from Proto-West Germanic *hlahtr, from Proto-Germanic hlahtraz, from Proto-Germanic hlahjaną, from Proto-Indo-European klek- — to laugh, cackle.

lack-laughter (English): Cheerless; sombre; serious

Definitions

  1. Cheerless; sombre; serious

Ancestry of “lack-laughter”, step by step

lack-laughter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English laughter

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlaughterThe sound of laughing, produced by air so...
2Middle EnglishlaughterLaughter; the production of laughs or snickers;...
3Old Englishhleahtorlaughter; a laugh
4Proto-West Germanic*hlahtrlaughter
5Proto-Germanichlahtrazlaughter
6Proto-Germanichlahjanąto laugh
7Proto-Indo-Europeanklek-to laugh, cackle

via English lack

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishlackA defect or failing; moral or spiritual...
2Middle Englishlack
3Old English*læc
Every word from Proto-Indo-European klek-
lack-laughter — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer