I. ˈlaftə(r), -aaf-, -aif-, -ȧf-, -äf- noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hleahtor; akin to Old High German lahtar laughter, Old Norse hlātr; derivative from the root of Old English hliehhan to laugh — more at laugh
1.
a. : a sound of or as if of laughing
laughter rippled through the room
after the scream came hideous laughter
the glowing gully rang with a kookaburra's laughter — Rex Ingamells
there is laughter in its waters — Robert Gibbings
b. : an inclination to laugh : exuberance , amusement
the laughter in him has turned the scale — Walter Lippmann
the capacity for civilized enjoyment, for leisure and laughter — Bertrand Russell
2. : laugh II 1a
the three laughters broke forth together — Dorothy M. Richardson
3. archaic : a cause of merriment
would be argument for a week, laughter for a month — Shakespeare
II. ˈlaftə(r), ˈlȧtə-, ˈlȯtə- noun
( -s )
Etymology: of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse lāttr place where animals lay their young; akin to Old Norse leggja to lay — more at lay
dialect Britain : a clutch of eggs