Where does “laugh” come from?
Laugh comes from Middle English laughen, from Old English hliehhan, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European klek-.
laugh (English): An expression of mirth particular to the human...
Definitions
- An expression of mirth particular to the human...
Ancestry of “laugh”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | laughen | To laugh; to break out in laughter or laughing;... |
| 2 | Old English | hlæhhan | — |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | hlahhjan | to laugh |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hlahjaną | to laugh |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | klek- | to laugh, cackle |
Words derived from “laugh”