Where does “laughter” come from?

Laughter comes from Middle English laughter, from Old English hleahtor, from Proto-Germanic hlahtraz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European klek-, a root associated with sharp sounds or bursting forth.

laughter (English): The sound of laughing, produced by air so...

Definitions

  1. The sound of laughing, produced by air so...

Ancestry of “laughter”, step by step

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

Words derived from “laughter

Every word from Proto-Indo-European klek-