giggle
/ˈɡɪɡl̩/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.35 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A high-pitched, silly laugh.
Example Sentences
- "The jokes had them giggling like little girls all evening."
- "I couldn't resist to giggle a little tee hee."
- "My audience to this not-too-easy operation was a small group of Scottish school lasses, who seemed (perhaps naturally) to find the proceedings somewhat mysterious, but at any rate amusing. I wished they would go away, but they didn't, so I had to get on with the job to the accompaniment of a background of giggles!"
- "We put itching powder down his shirt for giggles."
- "The women thought it would be quite a giggle to have a strippergram at the bride's hen party."
- "For my first English breakfast I had kippers and pink champagne - what a combination, still it was a bit of a giggle and I know I've really arrived."
Etymology
Early 16th century, probably of imitative origin. Or, perhaps a frequentative based on dialectal English gig (“to creak”), from Middle English gigen (“to make a creaking sound”) + -le; or perhaps of Dutch or Low German origin: compare Saterland Frisian güüchelje (“to giggle”), West Frisian giechelje (“to giggle”), Dutch giechelen (“to giggle”), German Low German giecheln (“to giggle”), dialectal German giggln, gigglen (“to giggle”), German gickeln (“to giggle”). All of these words are likely onomatopoeic as well. Also compare Alemannic German Guege (“fiddle”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
church giggles
giggling Gertie
church giggle
giggle academy
giggle berries
giggle bin
giggle box
giggle dust