Word of the Day Archive
Tuesday April 24, 2001
chortle \CHOR-tl\
, transitive and intransitive verb:
1. To utter, or express with, a snorting, exultant laugh or chuckle.
noun:
1. A snorting, exultant laugh or chuckle.
Benjamin himself chortled now, an odd laugh to which I grew accustomed in years to come.
-- Jay Parini, Benjamin's Crossing
Even Isaksson's stern wife, who rarely cracked a smile, chortled with glee, and Old Mothstead slapped his thighs and flapped his apron and danced around the couple, who moved in ever larger rings amongst the kegs.
-- Kerstin Ekman, Witches' Rings, translated by Linda Schenck
A nation that was used to chortling over Charlie Chaplin or rejoicing with the high-stepping Ziegfeld girls found itself drawn to this more refined, decidedly European entertainment.
-- Larry Tye, The Father of Spin
Chortle a combination of chuckle and snort. It was coined by Lewis Carroll (Charles L. Dodgson), in Through the Looking-Glass, published in 1872.
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for chortle
