cachinnate

American  

[kak-uh-neyt] / ˈkæk əˌneɪt /

verb (used without object)

cachinnated, cachinnating

1. Rare. to laugh loudly or excessively.

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cachinnate British  

/ ˈkækɪˌneɪt /

verb

1. (intr) to laugh loudly

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cachinnator
  noun
• cachinnatory
  adjective
• cachinnation
  noun

Etymology

Origin of cachinnate

First recorded in 1815–25; from Latin cachinnātus “laughed aloud,” past participle of cachinnāre “to laugh aloud, laugh immoderately,” of imitative origin

Explanation

Cachinnate sounds like what it is: it's what you do when you laugh loudly, guffaw, or cackle, and probably embarrass or annoy everyone around you. Cachinnate isn't an everyday word, and you're most likely to come across it in literature — or on vocabulary tests. Cachinnate, comes from the Latin verb cachinnare, which also means "guffaw." Despite the word's ancient pedigree, it doesn't appear in English until 1824.