giggle — to laugh lightly in a nervous, affected, or silly manner
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to laugh lightly in a nervous, affected, or silly manner
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈɡɪɡl/
Example Sentences
- She couldn't help but giggle when her serious professor slipped on a banana peel.
- The students giggled behind their books during the boring lecture.
- Every time he tried to say something romantic, she would giggle uncontrollably.
giggle
VERB[/ˈɡɪɡl/]
to laugh lightly in a nervous, affected, or silly manner
The kids couldn't stop their giggle when the puppy licked grandpa's nose.
Watch the jelly wiggle and jiggle, making children giggle!
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
Giggle emerged in the 16th century as an onomatopoeia, directly imitating the sound of laughter. The repetitive 'gig-' element mimics the rhythmic, staccato quality of actual laughter, characteristic of imitative word formation in English.
Breakdown
gig- (repetitive sound imitation) + -le (frequentative suffix). The 'gig-' root reproduces the sound of giggling itself, while the diminutive '-le' suffix emphasizes the repeated, light nature of the laugh.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“She couldn't help but giggle when her serious professor slipped on a banana peel.”
“The students giggled behind their books during the boring lecture.”
“Every time he tried to say something romantic, she would giggle uncontrollably.”
“The comedian's silly voice made the entire audience giggle.”
📚Related Words
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