Where does “unlaughter” come from?
unlaughter (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.
unlaughter (English): the act of not laughing when laughter is expected, for instance after the telling of a joke, leading to social uncomfortability
Definitions
- the act of not laughing when laughter is expected, for instance after the telling of a joke, leading to social uncomfortability
Ancestry of “unlaughter”, step by step
unlaughter traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English laughter
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | laughter | The sound of laughing, produced by air so... |
| 2 | Middle English | laughter | Laughter; the production of laughs or snickers;... |
| 3 | Old English | hleahtor | laughter; a laugh |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | *hlahtr | laughter |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hlahtraz | laughter |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | hlahjaną | to laugh |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | klek- | to laugh, cackle |
via English un
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | un | One |