Snirtle

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To laugh in a suppressed, half-stifled way, trying to hide the giggles behind your hand or closed lips
2. To giggle quietly and try to keep the laughter in, often at something one is not supposed to find funny
3. Make a muffled snicker or titter, letting out small bursts of laughter through closed lips

Etymology: "Snirtle" is simply "snirt" with the frequentative suffix "-le" added. "Snirt" is a dialect word meaning a suppressed snort or sniggering laugh, and the "-le" ending, as in "twinkle" or "sparkle", signals a repeated or continued action. So "snirtle" describes the small, repeated bursts of breath and noise a person makes while trying hard not to laugh out loud. The base word carries the sound itself. "Snirt" fits the noise it names: a sharp, nasal snort pushed out through the nose. Adding "-le" turns that single explosive puff into a stuttering, half-hidden series of snorts, which is exactly what someone stifling a giggle in a serious meeting or a church pew produces.

Synonyms: snicker, giggle, titter, snigger, chortle