Snorted

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Forced out air sharply through the nose ; made a sound through the nose to show scorn or laughter
2. Ejected breath noisily via nostrils ; emitted a nasal noise indicating ridicule or amusement
3. Sent air quickly from the nose ; produced a nasal sound as a reaction of contempt or humor

Etymology: "Snorted" is the past tense of "snort," and the verb's history starts with a sound that has since changed shape. Its ancestor in Old English was a form built on "fn-," which was probably meant to imitate the nasal blast of air through the nostrils. Over the Middle English period, the initial "fn-" softened into "sn-," which is the same shift that turned "fnora" into the root behind "snore" and "sneeze." The Old English root was "fnora," and the verb derived from it was something like "*fnorettan," with the asterisk marking a reconstructed form not directly attested in texts. By Middle English it had become "snorten," and the modern verb grew out of that. Its sense stayed close to the original sound throughout, describing a forceful, noisy expulsion of breath through the nose.

Synonyms: scoffed, huffed

Antonyms: inhaled