John Burroughs
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Cachinnate has been whooping it up in English since the 19th century. The word derives from the Latin verb cachinnare, meaning "to laugh loudly," and cachinnare was probably coined in imitation of a loud laugh. As such, cachinnare is much like the Old English ceahhetan, the Old High German kachazzen, and the Greek kachazein—all words of imitative origin that essentially meant "to laugh loudly." Our words giggle and guffaw are unrelated to those (and to each other) but they too are believed to have been modeled after the sound of laughter.
Word History
Etymology
Latin cachinnatus, past participle of cachinnare, of imitative origin
First Known Use
1824, in the meaning defined above
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Cite this Entry
“Cachinnate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cachinnate. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.
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