What does cachinnated mean?
To cachinnate is to laugh loudly, wildly, and without restraint — the sort of convulsive laughter that leaves one breathless. The word comes from the Latin 'cachinnari', meaning to laugh aloud, and entered English in the seventeenth century as a learned borrowing. Its past tense, 'cachinnated', describes having indulged in such unrestrained mirth. Far rarer than everyday terms like 'guffaw' or 'roar', it appears chiefly in literary prose, satire, and writing that enjoys its own vocabulary, where it lends an air of mock-scholarly precision to what is, after all, a very human outburst. Writers reach for it when ordinary words seem too mild for the noise being described: a reader might be described as cachinnating over a particularly absurd passage. Though obscure, it is precise and vivid, making it a favourite among logophiles and a memorable addition to any writer's arsenal of laughter-related terms.
verb (past tense and past participle of 'cachinnate')To have laughed loudly, immoderately, or convulsively; the past tense of 'cachinnate', meaning to burst into loud or unrestrained laughter.
- To have laughed loudly, boisterously, or without restraint.
"The entire audience cachinnated at the comedian's outrageous impersonation."
"He cachinnated so violently that he nearly toppled from his chair."
"The satirical essay left its readers cachinnating for days."
If your laughter were a crime, cachinnating would be the legal term for doing it excessively.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cachinnated
Cachinnated derives ultimately from the Latin verb 'cachinnare', meaning to laugh aloud or immoderately, itself related to 'cachinnus', a loud burst of laughter. The word was adopted into English in the early seventeenth century, part of a wave of scholarly borrowings from classical Latin. Its cognates include the noun 'cachinnation' and the adjective 'cachinnatory', both formed from the same root.
Related word forms
How cachinnated is actually used
A rare, deliberately erudite word found mostly in literary or humorous writing; it carries a slightly mock-formal or self-conscious tone when used in modern prose.
Easily confused with cachinnated
'Chortled' means to laugh in a chuckling, gleeful way, while 'cachinnated' implies loud, immoderate, almost convulsive laughter.