laughter

3 definitions found

laughter - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Laughter \Laugh"ter\, n. [AS. hleahtor; akin to OHG. hlahtar, G.
     gel[aum]chter, Icel. hl[=a]tr, Dan. latter. See Laugh, v.
     i. ]
     A movement (usually involuntary) of the muscles of the face,
     particularly of the lips, with a peculiar expression of the
     eyes, indicating merriment, satisfaction, or derision, and
     usually attended by a sonorous and interrupted expulsion of
     air from the lungs. See Laugh, v. i.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           The act of laughter, which is a sweet contraction of
           the muscles of the face, and a pleasant agitation of
           the vocal organs, is not merely, or totally within the
           jurisdiction of ourselves.               --Sir T.
                                                    Browne.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           Archly the maiden smiled, and with eyes overrunning
           with laughter.                           --Longfellow.
     [1913 Webster]

laughter - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  laughter
      n 1: the sound of laughing [syn: laugh, laughter]
      2: the activity of laughing; the manifestation of joy or mirth
         or scorn; "he enjoyed the laughter of the crowd"

laughter - Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 :

  61 Moby Thesaurus words for "laughter":
     Homeric laughter, amusement, belly laugh, boff, boffola,
     burst of laughter, cachinnation, cackle, chortle, chortling,
     chuckle, convulsion, crow, fit of laughter, frivolity, fun,
     gales of laughter, giggle, glee, gleefulness, guffaw, ha-ha,
     hearty laugh, hee-haw, hee-hee, high glee, hilariousness, hilarity,
     ho-ho, horselaugh, jocularity, jocundity, jolliness, jollity,
     joviality, joy, joyfulness, joyousness, laugh, laughing, levity,
     merriment, merriness, mirth, mirthfulness, outburst of laughter,
     peal of laughter, risibility, roar of laughter, shout,
     shout of laughter, shriek, snicker, snickering, snigger,
     sniggering, snort, tee-hee, titter, yuck, yuk-yuk