Where does “laughen” come from?

laughen (Middle English) comes from Old English hlæhhan, from Proto-West Germanic hlahhjan, from Proto-Germanic hlahjaną, from Proto-Indo-European klek- — to laugh, cackle.

laughen (Middle English): To laugh; to break out in laughter or laughing;...

Definitions

  1. To laugh; to break out in laughter or laughing;...

Ancestry of “laughen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhlæhhan—
2Proto-West Germanichlahhjanto laugh
3Proto-Germanichlahjanąto laugh
4Proto-Indo-Europeanklek-to laugh, cackle

Words derived from “laughen”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European klek- →Every word from Proto-Germanic hlahjaną →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hlahhjan →