*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of laugh

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *klek- Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną Proto-West Germanic *hlahhjan Old English hliehhander. Old English hlæhhan Middle English laughen, laghen English laugh From Middle English laughen, lagh

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
verb

To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and eyes, and usually accompanied by the emission of explosive or chuckling sounds from the chest and throat; to indulge in laughter. · To be or appear cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport. · To make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride; to mock. · To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule.

noun

An expression of mirth particular to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter. · Something that provokes mirth or scorn. · A fun person.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *klek- Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną Proto-West Germanic *hlahhjan Old English hliehhander. Old English hlæhhan Middle English laughen, laghen English laugh From Middle English laughen, laghen, from (Anglian) Old English hlæhhan, hlehhan, (West Saxon) hliehhan, from Proto-West Germanic *hlahhjan, from Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną. Cognates Germanic: Scots lauch (“to laugh”), Yola leeigh, leigh (“to laugh”), North Frisian laache, lachi, laake, loache, lååke (“to laugh”), Saterland Frisian laachje (“to laugh”), West Frisian laitsje (“to laugh”), Alemannic German lache (“to laugh”), Cimbrian lachan (“to laugh”), Dutch, German, and Low German lachen (“to laugh”), Luxembourgish laachen (“to laugh”), Yiddish לאַכן (lakhn, “to laugh”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish le (“to laugh”), Elfdalian läa (“to laugh”), Faroese læa (“to laugh”), Icelandic hlæja (“to laugh”), Norwegian Nynorsk le, læ, læja (“to laugh”), Crimean Gothic lachen (“to laugh”), Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hlahjan, “to laugh”). Indo-European: Breton kloc'h (“bell”), Irish clog (“bell; clock”), Manx and Scottish Gaelic clag (“bell”), Welsh cloch (“bell”), Russian клекота́ть (klekotátʹ), клокота́ть (klokotátʹ), клохта́ть (kloxtátʹ, “to cluck, cackle”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

This page abbreviates 1 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:laughen<alt:laughen, laghen>",
        "tree": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *klek-\nProto-Germanic *hlahjaną\nProto-West Germanic *hlahhjan\nOld English hliehhander.\nOld English hlæhhan\nMiddle English laughen, laghen\nEnglish laugh\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*klek-\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*hlahjaną\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gem-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-West Germanic\", \"term\" : \"*hlahhjan\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"gmw-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"hliehhan\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old English\", \"term\" : \"hlæhhan\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ang\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"laughen\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"laugh\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"laugh\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "laughen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English laughen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hlæhhan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hlæhhan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*hlahhjan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hlahhjan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*hlahjaną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną"
    },
    {
      "name": "col-top",
      "args": {
        "1": "2",
        "2": "cog"
      },
      "expansion": "Cognates"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "lauch",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots lauch (“to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "yol",
        "2": "leeigh"
      },
      "expansion": "Yola leeigh"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "frr",
        "2": "laache"
      },
      "expansion": "North Frisian laache"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "stq",
        "2": "laachje",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Saterland Frisian laachje (“to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fy",
        "2": "laitsje",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "West Frisian laitsje (“to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gsw",
        "2": "lache",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Alemannic German lache (“to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cim",
        "2": "lachan",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Cimbrian lachan (“to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl,de,nds",
        "2": "lachen",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch, German, and Low German lachen (“to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "lb",
        "2": "laachen",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Luxembourgish laachen (“to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "yi",
        "2": "לאַכן",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Yiddish לאַכן (lakhn, “to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da,nb,nn,sv",
        "2": "le",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish le (“to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ovd",
        "2": "läa",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Elfdalian läa (“to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo",
        "2": "læa",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese læa (“to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "hlæja",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic hlæja (“to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nn",
        "2": "le"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian Nynorsk le"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gme-cgo",
        "2": "lachen",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Crimean Gothic lachen (“to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "got",
        "2": "𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌾𐌰𐌽",
        "t": "to laugh"
      },
      "expansion": "Gothic 𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hlahjan, “to laugh”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "br",
        "2": "kloc'h",
        "t": "bell"
      },
      "expansion": "Breton kloc'h (“bell”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ga",
        "2": "clog",
        "t": "bell; clock"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish clog (“bell; clock”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gv,gd",
        "2": "clag",
        "t": "bell"
      },
      "expansion": "Manx and Scottish Gaelic clag (“bell”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cy",
        "2": "cloch",
        "t": "bell"
      },
      "expansion": "Welsh cloch (“bell”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ru",
        "2": "клекота́ть"
      },
      "expansion": "Russian клекота́ть (klekotátʹ)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":inh",
        "3": "enm:laughen<alt:laughen, laghen>",
        "tree": "+"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *klek-\nProto-Germanic *hlahjaną\nProto-West Germanic *hlahhjan\nOld English hliehhander.\nOld English hlæhhan\nMiddle English laughen, laghen\nEnglish laugh"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*klek-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/klek-"
    ],
    [
      "*hlahjaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hlahjaną"
    ],
    [
      "*hlahhjan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hlahhjan"
    ],
    [
      "hliehhan",
      "hliehhan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "hlæhhan",
      "hlæhhan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "laughen, laghen",
      "laughen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "laughen",
      "laughen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "laghen",
      "laghen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "hlæhhan",
      "hlæhhan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "hlehhan",
      "hlehhan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "hliehhan",
      "hliehhan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*hlahhjan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/hlahhjan"
    ],
    [
      "*hlahjaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hlahjaną"
    ],
    [
      "lauch",
      "lauch#Scots"
    ],
    [
      "leeigh",
      "leeigh#Yola"
    ],
    [
      "leigh",
      "leigh#Yola"
    ],
    [
      "laache",
      "laache#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "lachi",
      "lachi#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "laake",
      "laake#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "loache",
      "loache#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "lååke",
      "lååke#North_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "laachje",
      "laachje#Saterland_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "laitsje",
      "laitsje#West_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "lache",
      "lache#Alemannic_German"
    ],
    [
      "lachan",
      "lachan#Cimbrian"
    ],
    [
      "Dutch",
      "lachen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "German",
      "lachen#German"
    ],
    [
      "lachen",
      "lachen#Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "laachen",
      "laachen#Luxembourgish"
    ],
    [
      "לאַכן",
      "לאַכן#Yiddish"
    ],
    [
      "Danish",
      "le#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "le#Norwegian_Bokmål"
    ],
    [
      "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "le#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "le",
      "le#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "läa",
      "läa#Elfdalian"
    ],
    [
      "læa",
      "læa#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "hlæja",
      "hlæja#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "le",
      "le#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "læ",
      "læ#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "læja",
      "læja#Norwegian_Nynorsk"
    ],
    [
      "lachen",
      "lachen#Crimean_Gothic"
    ],
    [
      "𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌾𐌰𐌽",
      "𐌷𐌻𐌰𐌷𐌾𐌰𐌽#Gothic"
    ],
    [
      "kloc'h",
      "kloc'h#Breton"
    ],
    [
      "clog",
      "clog#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "Manx",
      "clag#Manx"
    ],
    [
      "clag",
      "clag#Scottish_Gaelic"
    ],
    [
      "cloch",
      "cloch#Welsh"
    ],
    [
      "клекота́ть",
      "клекотать#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "клокота́ть",
      "клокотать#Russian"
    ],
    [
      "клохта́ть",
      "клохтать#Russian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and eyes, and usually accompanied by the emission of explosive or chuckling sounds from the chest and throat; to indulge in laughter.",
        "To be or appear cheerful, pleasant, mirthful, lively, or brilliant; to sparkle; to sport.",
        "To make an object of laughter or ridicule; to make fun of; to deride; to mock.",
        "To affect or influence by means of laughter or ridicule."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "figuratively",
        "obsolete",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "4dc944f5ebd3d66dce56c0c10a35a97715d1ad118dbadf48e4935588731ee427",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b00e24b195d70a3f08f3d1a231b46cc7cbc2433f26e4b6c5b0e3b788497af0a1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 14094
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An expression of mirth particular to the human species; the sound heard in laughing; laughter.",
        "Something that provokes mirth or scorn.",
        "A fun person."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "New-Zealand",
        "UK"
      ],
      "recordId": "d4ace9c521e1ed51ad7d22f06b74528a22f553b8701ec1cf6478ac8c102e76f7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "39c700bf7c5d3e92a36269d6cb058a9f0c89e630a97f2bbcb261285347ca1050",
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 1,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for laugh →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
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Import run
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Permanent entry ID
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