guffaw

English

WOTD – 17 May 2006

Etymology

Probably onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɡəˈfɔː/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ɡəˈfɔ/
• (AU/NZ) IPA^(key): /ɡəˈfoː/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

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• Rhymes: -ɔː

Noun

guffaw (plural guffaws)

1. A boisterous laugh.
   • 1845 October – 1846 June​, Ellis Bell [pseudonym; Emily Brontë], Wuthering Heights: A Novel, volume II, London: Thomas Cautley Newby, publisher, […], published December 1847, OCLC 156123328:

     On opening the little door, two hairy monsters flew at my throat, bearing me down, and extinguishing the light; while a mingled guffaw from Heathcliff and Hareton put the copestone on my rage and humiliation.

   • 1906, Arthur Conan Doyle, chapter XX, in Sir Nigel:

     He walked to the edge and they heard his hoarse guffaw of laughter as the arrows clanged and clattered against his impenetrable mail.

   • 1936, Robert E. Howard, chapter 15, in The Hour of the Dragon:

     He heaved up with a sulfurous curse, braced his legs and glared about him, with a burst of coarse guffaws in his ears and the reek of unwashed bodies in his nostrils.

   Synonym: belly laugh

Translations

a boisterous laugh

• Bulgarian: кикот (bg) m (kikot)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 哄笑 (zh) (hōngxiào)

• Czech: řehot m
• Dutch: schaterlach (nl)
• Finnish: hohotus (fi), röhönauru, hörönauru
• French: gros éclat de rire, esclaffer (fr)
• Galician: gargallada f, rinchada (gl) f, risada (gl) f
• Georgian: ხარხარი (xarxari)
• German: schallendes Gelächter
• Hungarian: hahota (hu)
• Italian: risata fragorosa

• Japanese: 哄笑 (ja) (こうしょう, kōshō)
• Latvian: tirpt
• Portuguese: gargalhada (pt) f
• Russian: хо́хот (ru) m (xóxot), го́гот (ru) m (gógot), ржа́ние (ru) n (ržánije) (colloquial)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: гро̏хо̄т m

  Roman: grȍhōt (sh) m

• Spanish: carcajada (es) f, risotada (es)
• Tagalog: halakhak
• Ukrainian: ре́гіт m (réhit)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: cwerthiniad bras m

Verb

guffaw (third-person singular simple present guffaws, present participle guffawing, simple past and past participle guffawed)

1. (intransitive) To laugh boisterously.
   • 1891, Oscar Wilde, chapter 15, in The Picture of Dorian Gray:

     He guffawed at his adversaries.

   • 1900, Stephen Crane, The Knife:

     Peter, on the contrary, threw back his head and guffawed thunderously.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:laugh

Translations

To laugh boisterously

• Bulgarian: кикотя се (kikotja se)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 哄笑 (zh) (hōngxiào)

• Czech: řehtat se
• Dutch: schaterlachen (nl)
• Esperanto: ridegi
• Finnish: hohottaa (fi), hekottaa (fi)
• French: s’esclaffer (fr)
• Galician: gargallar
• German: schallend lachen
• Japanese: げらげら笑う (geragera warau), 哄笑する (ja) (こうしょうする, kōshō suru)

• Polish: rechotać (pl), rżeć (pl)
• Portuguese: gargalhar
• Russian: хохота́ть (ru) impf (xoxotátʹ), гогота́ть (ru) impf (gogotátʹ), ржать (ru) impf (ržatʹ) (colloquial)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: грохо̀тати

  Roman: grohòtati (sh)

• Tagalog: humalakhak (past), humahalakhak (present)
• Ukrainian: регота́ти (rehotáty), іржа́ти (iržáty) (colloquial)
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
• Welsh: crechwenu (cy)