chortle
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
Perhaps a blend of chuckle + snort. Coined by Lewis Carroll in his poem Jabberwocky, completed in 1855 but only introduced to the public in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass.
Pronunciation
- (General American) enPR: chôr'təl, IPA(key): /ˈt͡ʃɔɹtəl/, [ˈt͡ʃɔɹɾɫ̩]
Audio (US): (file) Audio (General Australian): (file) - Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)təl
Noun
chortle (plural chortles)
- A joyful, somewhat muffled laugh, rather like a snorting chuckle.
- He frequently interrupted himself with chortles while he told us his favorite joke.
- A similar sounding vocalisation of various birds.
Synonyms
Translations
joyful, somewhat muffled laugh
Verb
chortle (third-person singular simple present chortles, present participle chortling, simple past and past participle chortled)
- (intransitive) To laugh with a chortle or chortles.
- The old fellow chortled as he recalled his youthful adventures.
- 1871, Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky:
- 'O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy.
Synonyms
- chuckle
- See also Thesaurus:laugh
Derived terms
Translations
to laugh with a chortle or chortles
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