chortle

English

WOTD – 5 April 2006

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• enPR: chôr'təl, IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃɔɹtəl/, [ˈt͡ʃɔɹɾɫ̩]

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (AU):

  (file)

  Rhymes: -ɔː(r)təl

Noun

chortle (plural chortles)

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

Translations

joyful, somewhat muffled laugh

• Bulgarian: кикотене (bg) n (kikotene)
• Dutch: luidruchtig grinnikken, verkneukelen m
• Finnish: hörötys (fi)
• French: gloussement (fr) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: glucksen (de), chortle (de)
• Italian: chortle
• Norwegian: humring c, klukklatter m, snøfting c
• Serbo-Croatian: cerekanje (sh)
• Spanish: carcajada (es) f

Verb

chortle (third-person singular simple present chortles, present participle chortling, simple past and past participle chortled)

1. (intransitive) To laugh with a chortle or chortles.

   The old fellow chortled as he recalled his youthful adventures.

   • 1871 — Lewis Carroll, Jabberwocky

     'O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!' He chortled in his joy.

Synonyms

• chuckle
• See also Thesaurus:laugh

Translations

to laugh with a chortle or chortles

• Bulgarian: кикотя се (kikotja se)
• Finnish: höröttää, hörähtää (momentane)
• French: glousser (fr)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: hneggja af hlátri, rýta af hlátri
• Kannada: Kushiada Nage
• Norwegian: humre (no), klukkle, snøfte