Laughing
/ˈlæfɪŋ/noun
Making the characteristic sounds and movements that express amusement, joy, or nervousness.
Did you know?The word’s earliest Germanic ancestors are thought to be sound-symbolic—language imitating the physical noise of laughter rather than naming an abstract concept.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic
*hlahjaną
“to laugh; a reconstructed sound-associated Germanic verb”
Old English
Old English
hlæhhan
“to laugh”
Middle English
Middle English
laughen
“to laugh”
15th Century
English
laugh
“to express amusement or joy with vocal sounds”
Modern English
English
laughing
“laughing; producing the characteristic sound or expression of amusement”