Cackle
/ˈkæk.əl/noun
To laugh in a harsh, broken way, especially in a shrill or annoying manner.
Did you know?Cackle is an onomatopoeic word, and English has long used it for both human laughter and the rattling, clucking sound of hens—one reason it feels so eerily animal and almost spell-like.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
cacian
“to cackle or cluck”
Middle English
ME
cakelen
“to cackle, chatter, or make a hen-like noise”
14th-15th Century
English
cackle
“a harsh, broken laugh or clucking sound”
Modern English
English
cackle
“to laugh in a shrill, harsh, or raucous way”