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chortle

noun, verb — 3 senses

chortle

noun

US /ˈt͡ʃɔɹtəl/

Etymology Perhaps a blend of chuckle + snort. Coined by Lewis Carroll in his poem Jabberwocky, completed in 1855 but only introduced to the public in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass.

1

A joyful, somewhat muffled laugh, rather like a snorting chuckle.

  • He frequently interrupted himself with chortles while he told us his favorite joke.
2

A similar sounding vocalisation of various birds.

Synonyms
chuckle

chortle

verb

Etymology Perhaps a blend of chuckle + snort. Coined by Lewis Carroll in his poem Jabberwocky, completed in 1855 but only introduced to the public in his 1871 novel Through the Looking-Glass.

1

To laugh with a chortle or chortles.

  • The old fellow chortled as he recalled his youthful adventures.
  • 'O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy.1871, Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky:
Synonyms
chuckle
Derived terms
chortler, chortlingly, snortle

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.

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