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
- The sound of laughing, produced by air so...
Ancestry of “laughter”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | laughter | Laughter; the production of laughs or snickers;... |
| 2 | Old English | hleahtor | laughter; a laugh |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | *hlahtr | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hlahtraz | laughter |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hlahjaną | to laugh |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | klek- | to laugh, cackle |
Words derived from “laughter”