Webster
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Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Laughing

Laugh′ing (läf′ĭng), a. & n. from Laugh, v. i.

Laughing falcon (Zoöl.), a South American hawk (Herpetotheres cachinnans); — so called from its notes, which resemble a shrill laugh. — Laughing gas (Chem.), hyponitrous oxide, or protoxide of nitrogen; — so called from the exhilaration and laughing which it sometimes produces when inhaled. It is much used as an anæsthetic agent. — Laughing goose (Zoöl.), the European white-fronted goose. — Laughing gull. (Zoöl.) (a) A common European gull (Xema ridibundus); — called also pewit, black cap, red-legged gull, and sea crow. (b) An American gull (Larus atricilla). In summer the head is nearly black, the back slate color, and the five outer primaries black. — Laughing hyena (Zoöl.), the spotted hyena. See Hyena. — Laughing jackass (Zoöl.), the great brown kingfisher (Dacelo gigas), of Australia; — called also giant kingfisher, and gogobera. — Laughing owl (Zoöl.), a peculiar owl (Sceloglaux albifacies) of New Zealand, said to be on the verge of extinction. The name alludes to its notes.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Noah Porter, editor (Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913). Public domain. Text as transcribed by MICRA, Inc., from Project Gutenberg. Changed for Deep Dive Bible: Greek, which our source spelled in Latin letters, set in Greek letters; entries of one spelling merged into one article; Greek words our source left out (shown as “?”), read from the 1898 printing, from the same plates (the Library of Congress’s copy), where the place could be found with certainty. Of the others, 1,362 (a word or a single letter each) were inferred by AI from the context by the dictionary’s own rules and are marked with a wavy underline (tap or point at one to see the note); the rest, which could not be inferred with confidence, are left as “?”.