guffaw

WOTD – 17 May 2006

English

Etymology

Probably onomatopoetic.

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  Rhymes: -ɔː/, -ɔː(r)/ (for non-rhotic accents)

Noun

guffaw (plural guffaws)

1. A boisterous laugh
   • 1847, Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, Chapter II

     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, Sir Nigel, ch. xx,

     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, The Hour of the Dragon, ch. 15,

     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.

Synonyms

• (boisterous laugh): belly laugh

Translations

a boisterous laugh

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 哄笑 (zh) (hōngxiào)

• Czech: řehot m
• Dutch: schaterlach (nl)
• Finnish: hohotus (fi), röhönauru, hörönauru
• French: gros éclat de rire
• 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: хохот (ru) m (xóxot), гогот (ru) m (gógot), ржание (ru) n (ržánije) (colloquial)
• Spanish: carcajada (es) f
• Tagalog: halakhak
• Ukrainian: регіт m (réhit)
• 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, The Picture of Dorian Gray, ch. 15,

     He guffawed at his adversaries.

   • 1900, Stephen Crane, The Knife,

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

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:laugh

Translations

To laugh boisterously

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 哄笑 (zh) (hōngxiào)

• Czech: řehtat se
• Dutch: schaterlachen (nl)
• Finnish: hohottaa (fi), hekottaa
• 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)
• Russian: хохотать (ru) impf (xoxotátʹ), гоготать (ru) impf (gogotátʹ), ржать (ru) impf (ržatʹ) (colloquial)
• Tagalog: humalakhak (past), humahalakhak (present)
• Ukrainian: реготати (rehotáty), іржати (iržáty) (colloquial)
• Welsh: crechwenu (cy)