Gelos
/ˈɡe.los/noun
Gelos is the personification of laughter in ancient Greek mythology.
Did you know?In Greek myth, Gelos was associated with Dionysian revelry and the unsettling, boundary-breaking power of laughter.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ǵelh₂-
“To laugh or express mirth”
Mycenaean Greek
Greek
𐀐𐀫𐀦𐀅 (ke-ra-si-ja)
“Possibly an early form connected with laughter, though the reading and interpretation are debated”
5th Century BCE
Ancient Greek
γέλως (gélōs)
“Laughter; ridicule or mockery”
Classical Greek
Ancient Greek
Γέλως (Gélōs)
“The personification or divine embodiment of laughter”
19th–20th Century
English
gelos
“Scholarly transliteration of the Greek mythological name”
Modern English
English
Gelos
“A mythological personification of laughter”
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