laughen

English

Verb

laughen

1. obsolete past participle of laugh.

Anagrams

• Hangeul, han-geul, hangeul

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Middle English

Alternative forms

• (Early ME) lahhȝhenn, lihȝen, lehȝen, lahhen, lauhwen
• laughe, laghe, laghen, lawen, leigh, leygh, leiȝe, leyȝe, lauȝe, lauȝhe, lawȝe, lyȝhe, lauȝen, lauȝwhen, leighȝen, lawhyn

Etymology

From Old English hlæhhan, alternative form of hlehhan, hliehhan, from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlaxən/, /ˈlɛxən/
• IPA^(key): /ˈlau̯xən/, /ˈlɛi̯xən/, /ˈlixən/

Verb

laughen

1. To laugh; to break out in laughter or laughing.

   • a. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Knight's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, lines 961-963:

     But right anon the worthy Knyght bigan / whan that he saugh that al the peple lough: / "Namoore of this, for it is right ynough!

     But right away the worthy Knight started / when he saw that all the people laughed: / "No more of this, because that's enough!

2. To express glee or joyfulness; to show happiness.

   • a. 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Merchant's Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, lines 1723-1724:

     And Venus laugheth upon every wight / For Januarie was bicome hir knyght

     And Venus laughs about every person / As January has become her knight

3. (usually with a preposition) To reminisce about; to remember with affection.
4. (rare) To laugh about an incident or thing.

Conjugation

Conjugation of laughen (strong class 6/weak)

infinitive	(to) laughen
indicative	present	past
1st person singular	laughe	lough, lowȝ, laughed
2nd person singular	laughest	lough, lowȝ, laughed, *loughst
3rd person singular	laugheþ, laugheth	lough, lowȝ, laughed
plural	laughen	lough(en), laughed(en)
subjunctive	present	past
singular	laughe	lough, lowȝ, laughed
plural	laughen	lough(en), laughed(en)
imperative	present
singular	laughe
plural	laugheþ, laugheth
participle	present	past
	laughende, laughinge	laughe(n), laughed

Derived terms

• laughter
• lawghynge

Descendants

• English: laugh
• Scots: lauch
• Yola: leeigh

References

• “laughen (v.)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-07-19.