Etymologically
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chortle

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈt͡ʃɔɹtəl/[1]

Etymology

It was coined by Lewis Carroll in Through the Looking-Glass (1871),[2][3][4][5] probably as a blend of chuckle and snort.[5][6][7][4][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

To chuckle or sing exultantly, in Carroll's line “He chortled in his joy” (1872).[3][7][5]

Semantic evolution

Carroll called such words portmanteaus, with two meanings packed into one.[5] Chortle was taken up jocularly by other writers[3] and became an ordinary word for a gleeful, snorting laugh.[5][4] The noun appears in 1903.[6][2]

Timeline

  • 1871 – coined in Through the Looking-Glass.[2][4]
  • 1872 – first quotations.[3][6][7]
  • 1903 – as a noun.[6][2]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To laugh or chuckle gleefully, especially in satisfaction.
  2. To say or express with a gleeful chuckle.

Noun

  1. A gleeful, snorting chuckle.

Word family

  • chortler
  • chuckle
  • snort
  • galumph
  • portmanteau

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  6. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  7. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster