Haha

Part of speech: interjection, noun

Definitions

1. An expression used in writing or speech to indicate amusement or laughter; a way to convey humor or joy; a vocalized reaction to something funny or entertaining
2. A written or spoken sign of mirth or amusement; a tool to represent spontaneous or deliberate laughter; a typical response to humor or comedic moments
3. A notation signaling laughter or lightheartedness; a commonly employed metalinguistic cue for enjoyment; a marker of jovial or amused reaction in communication

Etymology: Old English already had "ha ha" as an interjection of laughter, and its Germanic relatives, from Old Frisian to Middle High German, share the sound for joy or mirth. It is onomatopoeic, imitating the noise of laughing. The garden feature is a different story. It was a sunken ditch, walled on one side, that let the view run unbroken across a lawn while stopping walkers from crossing it. The French name appears in 1686 in place names in New France, now Quebec. Tradition credits Louis, the Grand Dauphin, with exclaiming at one of these in the gardens of the Château de Meudon. English first recorded the term in 1712, in John James's translation of Dezallier d'Argenville's 1709 gardening treatise. The translation explains that the sudden drop surprises the eye and makes one laugh, "Ha! Ha!", which gives the name.

Synonyms: chuckle, laugh, giggle, snicker, cackle