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cachinno

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Etymology and origin of the Latin word cachinno

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation, Onomatopoeia
First attested
Accius (170–c. 90 BC)
Ultimate origin
Latin cachinnus
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin cachinnus
Latin cachinno

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [kaˈkʰɪn.noː][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [kaˈkin.no][1]

Forms

cachinnō (present infinitive cachinnāre, perfect active cachinnāvī, supine cachinnātum); first conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin cachinnus (“loud laughter”), with the verb ending -ō.[1] The OLD calls the word imitative of the sound of laughter and compares Ancient Greek καγχάζω (kankházō, “to laugh aloud”).[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest example is in Accius, where an echo is said to “laugh” with a clanging din.[2][4]

Semantic evolution

The verb meant to laugh loudly or without restraint, to guffaw.[2][3] L&S calls it classical but rare: Lucretius has servant girls who laugh in secret, and Cicero sets cachinnāre ipse Aprōnius beside the guests' laughter.[3][2] Döderlein distinguishes it from rīdeō: rīdēre is a joyful, moderate laugh, while cachinnārī is an unrestrained, resounding fit of laughter.[5] Later it took an object, “to laugh loudly at”, as in Apuleius.[2]

English formed cachinnate from its past participle in 1824.[6]

Timeline

  • 170–c. 90 BC – Accius uses it of an echo.[2][4]
  • 96–55 BC – Lucretius uses it of girls laughing in secret.[3][4]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it in the speeches against Verres.[2][4]
  • c. 125–175 AD – Apuleius uses it with an object, “to laugh at”.[2][4]
  • 1824 – English forms cachinnate from its past participle.[6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To laugh loudly or immoderately, guffaw.[2][3]
  2. (of the sea or an echo) To roar, resound.[2][1]
  3. (transitive) To laugh loudly at, deride.[2]

Word family

  • cachinnābilis
  • cachinnātiō
  • decachinno
  • English cachinnate

Usage notes

A rare noun cachinnō, -ōnis, “a loud laugher”, occurs in Persius.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  6. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Cachinno.” Etymologically, 20 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/cachinno. Accessed 23 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·