chuckle

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English

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Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From chuck +‎ -le.

Noun

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chuckle (plural chuckles)

  1. A quiet laugh.
    Synonyms: chortle, giggle, snigger, titter; see also Thesaurus:laugh
Translations
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Verb

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chuckle (third-person singular simple present chuckles, present participle chuckling, simple past and past participle chuckled)

  1. To laugh quietly or inwardly.
  2. (transitive) To communicate through chuckling.
    She chuckled her assent to my offer as she got in the car.
  3. (intransitive, archaic) To make the sound of a chicken; to cluck.
  4. (transitive, archaic) To call together, or call to follow, as a hen calls her chickens; to cluck.
    • 1690, [John] Dryden, Don Sebastian, King of Portugal: [], London: [] Jo. Hindmarsh, [], →OCLC, (please specify the page number):
      if these Birds are within distance, here's that will chuckle 'em together
  5. (transitive, archaic) To fondle; to indulge or pamper.
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Derived terms

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Etymology 2

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Perhaps from chock (a log).

Adjective

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chuckle (comparative more chuckle, superlative most chuckle)

  1. (obsolete) Clumsy.
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