laugh: [OE] The word laugh is ultimately onomatopoeic, imitative of the sound of laughter. It goes back to Indo-European *klak-, *klōk-, which also produced Greek klóssein, a verb denoting the clucking of hens, and Latin clangere ‘sound’ (source of English clangor [16]). Its Germanic descendants were *khlakh-, *khlōkh-, from which come German and Dutch lachen, Swedish and Danish le, and English laugh. => clangor
laugh (v.)
late 14c., from Old English (Anglian) hl?hhan, earlier hlihhan, from Proto-Germanic *klakhjan (cognates: Old Norse hl?ja, Danish le, Old Frisian hlakkia, Old Saxon hlahhian, Middle Dutch and Dutch lachen, Old High German hlahhan, German lachen, Gothic hlahjan), from PIE *kleg-, of imitative origin (compare Latin cachinnare "to laugh aloud," Sanskrit kakhati "laughs," Old Church Slavonic chochotati "laugh," Lithuanian klageti "to cackle," Greek kakhazein). Originally with a "hard" -gh- sound, as in Scottish loch; the spelling remained after the pronunciation shifted to "-f."
If I coveted nowe to avenge the injuries that you have done me, I myght laughe in my slyve. [John Daus, "Sleidanes Commentaries," 1560]
Related: Laughed; laughing.
laugh (n.)
1680s, from laugh (v.). Meaning "a cause of laughter" is from 1895; ironic use (as in that's a laugh) attested from 1930. Laugh track "canned laughter on a TV program" is from 1961.
雙語例句
1. For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn?
我們活著是為了什么？不就是給鄰居當(dāng)笑柄，再反過來笑他們。
來自《傲慢與偏見》
2. Do not hesitate to laugh at anything you find amusing.
只要覺得好笑就盡管笑。
來自柯林斯例句
3. He was falsely jovial, with his booming, mirthless laugh.
他低聲苦笑了幾聲，裝出快樂的樣子。
來自柯林斯例句
4. They laugh so hard they double up with laughter.
他們捧腹大笑，直不起身來。
來自柯林斯例句
5. The blunt comment made Richard laugh in spite of himself.