chortle
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chor·tle
(chôr′tl)n.
A snorting, joyful laugh or chuckle.
intr. & tr.v. chor·tled, chor·tling, chor·tles
To utter a chortle or express with a chortle.
chor′tler n.
Word History: " 'O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy." Perhaps Lewis Carroll would chortle a bit himself to find that people are still using the word chortle, which he coined in Through the Looking-Glass, published in 1872. In any case, Carroll had constructed his word well, combining the words chuckle and snort. He also provided us means of referring to such hybrids, which are often prosaically called blends. In Through the Looking-Glass Humpty Dumpty uses portmanteau (a suitcase that opens into two hinged compartments) to describe the word slithy, saying, "It's like a portmanteau—there are two meanings packed up into one word" (the meanings being "lithe" and "slimy").
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
chortle
(ˈtʃɔːtəl)vb
(intr) to chuckle gleefully
n
a gleeful chuckle
[C19: coined (1871) by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-glass; probably a blend of chuckle + snort]
ˈchortler n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
chor•tle
(ˈtʃɔr tl)v. -tled, -tling,
n. v.i.
1. to chuckle gleefully.
v.t. 2. to express with a gleeful chuckle: to chortle one's joy.
n. 3. a gleeful chuckle.
chor′tler, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
chortle
- Probably a blend of chuckle and snort, coined by Lewis Carroll.See also related terms for snort.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
chortle
Past participle: chortled
Gerund: chortling
| Imperative |
|---|
| chortle |
| chortle |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. | chortle - a soft partly suppressed laugh |
| Verb | 1. | chortle - laugh quietly or with restraint |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
chortle
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
chortle
verbTo laugh quietly:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
höröttää
chortle
[ˈtʃɔːtl]Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
chortle
vi → gluckern, glucksen; he was chortling over the article → er lachte in sich hinein or vor sich hin, als er den Artikel las
n → Gluckser m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995