chortle

(chôr'tl)
n.
A snorting, joyful laugh or chuckle.

intr. & tr.v., -tled, -tling, -tles.
To utter a chortle or express with a chortle.

[Blend of CHUCKLE and SNORT.]

chortler 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. This type of word is called a blend or a portmanteau word. In Through the Looking-Glass Humpty Dumpty uses portmanteau 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").

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verb

To laugh quietly: chuckle. See laughter, sounds/pleasant sounds/unpleasant sounds/neutral sounds or silence.

For a list of words related to chortle, see:

• Expressions of Feeling - chortle: laugh loudly and gleefully

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See words rhyming with "chortle."

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - le, klukle
v. intr. - klukle
n. - kluklatter

Nederlands (Dutch)
grinniken, gegrinnik

Français (French)
v. tr. - glousser, rire
v. intr. - glousser, gloussement, rire de
n. - gloussement

Deutsch (German)
v. - kichern
n. - Kichern, Glucksen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - καγχάζω, χαχανίζω
n. - καγχασμός, χάχανο

Italiano (Italian)
ridacchiare, riso

Português (Portuguese)
v. - rir
n. - risada (f)

Русский (Russian)
давиться от смеха, фыркание

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - reír entre dientes
v. intr. - reírse entre dientes
n. - risitas, risa ahogada

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - skrocka
n. - skrockande

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
以欢笑声调唱或说出, 咯咯笑, 得意的高笑

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 以歡笑聲調唱或說出
v. intr. - 咯咯笑
n. - 得意的高笑

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 깔깔 웃다, 우쭐해지다
v. intr. - 깔깔 웃다, 우쭐해지다
n. - 의기 양양함

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 声高に笑う, 大得意になる
n. - 得意の高笑い

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) يقهقه (الاسم) قهقهه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮צחק בקול‬
v. intr. - ‮צחק בקול‬
n. - ‮צחוק רם‬

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