Etymograph

English

belaugh

Belaugh comes from Old English behliehhan ‘to deride, exult over’, from hliehhan ‘to laugh’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *klek-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*klek-1‘to laugh, cackle’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hlahjaną2‘to laugh’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hlahhjan2‘to laugh’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150hliehhan3‘to laugh’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150behliehhan4as behlehhan‘to deride, exult over’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500belahhen4
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2000belaugh4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Old English hliehhan
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Old English behliehhan
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English belaugh
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2000, Laughing Womyn Ashonosheni: “One step out of, one step into, our homes,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*klek-Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną‘to laugh, cackle’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*hlahjanąWiktionary, Old English hliehhan‘to laugh’reconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*hlahhjanWiktionary, Old English hliehhan‘to laugh’reconstructed
  4. Old Englishc. 450–1150hliehhanWiktionary, Old English behliehhan‘to laugh’
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150behliehhanWiktionary, English belaughas behlehhan‘to deride, exult over’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500belahhenWiktionary, English belaugh
  7. Englishearliest quotation 2000belaughWiktionary, English belaugh. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2000, Laughing Womyn Ashonosheni: “One step out of, one step into, our homes,…”

Formed from be- + laugh

Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi ‘at, near’

Proto-Indo-European *h₁pi

Proto-Germanic *bi ‘near, by’

Proto-Germanic *bi-

Proto-West Germanic *bi-

English be-

Proto-Indo-European *klek- ‘to laugh, cackle’

Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną ‘to laugh’

Proto-West Germanic *hlahhjan ‘to laugh’

Old English hliehhan ‘to laugh’

Middle English laughen

English laugh

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *klek- ‘to laugh, cackle’

laughter, 1 more

through Proto-West Germanic *hlahhjan ‘to laugh’

laughing, 1 more

through Old English hliehhan ‘to laugh’

low, 1 more

Today it means

verb To laugh about; laugh over; laugh at.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “belaugh”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Germanic *hlahjaną, Old English hliehhan, Old English behliehhan. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *klek- / belaugh

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