Giggle

Part of speech: verb, noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɡɪɡl̩/

Definitions

1. A light, rhythmic, and often uncontrollable burst of laughter that is typically high-pitched and expresses amusement or nervousness
2. A playful and often spontaneous sound of laughter that conveys joy or embarrassment while typically being characterized by a high pitch and rhythmic quality
3. A quick and often involuntary expression of laughter that is usually high-pitched and emerges from feelings of amusement or unease

Etymology: "Giggle" first appears in English in the early 16th century, and its origin is probably imitative: the sound of the word mirrors the sound of the laugh it names. Scholars have not settled on a single source, though, and several candidates are on the table. One proposal treats it as a frequentative, a form suggesting repeated action, built on the dialect verb "gig," meaning to creak, which came from Middle English "gigen." Others point to Dutch, Low German and Frisian relatives such as Dutch "giechelen" and German dialect "gickeln," all meaning to giggle, and these look onomatopoeic too. The word has long been tied to a particular kind of laughter, one that is quick, high-pitched and somewhat uncontrolled, which may explain why it sits so comfortably beside the mirrored sound of its own spelling.

Synonyms: chuckle, snicker, titter, laugh, cackle

Antonyms: sober, frown, cry, weep, scowl