Agelast
/ˈædʒ.ə.læst/noun
A person who never laughs or refuses to laugh.
Did you know?The word was popularized in English by François Rabelais, who used it to describe a person incapable of laughter—a sharp insult in a culture that treated laughter as revealing character.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀγέλαστος (agélastos)
“Not laughing; joyless”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἀ- (a-)
“A privative prefix meaning “not” or “without””
Ancient Greek
Greek
γελαστός (gelastós)
“Laughing; laughable; capable of laughter”
16th Century
French
agélaste
“A person who does not laugh”
16th Century
English
agelast
“A person incapable of laughter”
Modern English
English
agelast
“Someone who never laughs or refuses to laugh”
Explore more surprising origins