Cachinnate - plus, check out the trending words

[Merriam-Webster]( WORD OF THE DAY [December 10, 2017](#none) cachinnate [Audio pronunciation]( verb | KAK-uh-nayt Definition : to laugh loudly or immoderately Scroll down for more about cachinnate WORD GAMES AND QUIZZES: WEEKLY CHALLENGE [Intact Latin Quiz]( What did each of these words mean to ancient Romans? [PLAY NOW]( Nailed this quiz? We have plenty more to try! [TAKE ME THERE [>]]( Plus: [SEE WHAT LOOKUPS ARE TRENDING NOW! [>]]( Did You Know? Cachinnate has been whooping it up in English since the 19th century. The word derives from the Latin verb cachinnare, meaning "to laugh loudly," and cachinnare was probably coined in imitation of a loud laugh. As such, cachinnare is much like the Old English ceahhetan, the Old High German kachazzen, and the Greek kachazein—all words of imitative origin that essentially meant "to laugh loudly." Our words [giggle]( and [guffaw]( are unrelated to those (and to each other) but they too are believed to have been modeled after the sound of laughter. Examples of CACHINNATE As the author read from her newest book, we tried to tune out the spectator cachinnating at the back of the auditorium. "And all the way the Fates walking with him, whispering and cachinnating, ordering him to tread there, breathe here, spit there, unless he wanted to be eviscerated by destiny." — Will Self, Tough, Tough Toys for Tough, Tough Boys, 1998 Test Your Vocabulary Unscramble the letters to create a verb with the meaning "to laugh when amused or pleased": RHTLCOE. [VIEW THE ANSWER [>]]( WORDS AT PLAY 8 Nicer Ways to Say 'Stupid' As illustrated by some very smart, very good pups [SEE THE FULL LIST [>]]( MORE WORD FUN: [WORD GAMES [>]]( [TRENDING NOW [>]]( [WORDS AT PLAY [>]]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( SHARE: [Facebook][Facebook]( [Twitter][Twitter]( [View this email in a web browser]( You are receiving this email because you opted in to receive the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day. [Unsubscribe from Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day]( [Manage your subscription settings]( Merriam-Webster, Inc. 47 Federal Street P.O. Box 281 Springfield, MA 01102 [www.merriam-webster.com](