cackle

Meanings

Plural: cackles

Noun

the sound made by a hen after laying an egg
noisy talk
a loud laugh suggestive of a hen's cackle
The cry of a hen or goose, especially when laying an egg.
A laugh resembling the cry of a hen or goose.
Futile or excessively noisy talk.
A group of hyenas.

Verb

talk or utter in a cackling manner
- "The women cackled when they saw the movie star step out of the limousine"
squawk shrilly and loudly, characteristic of hens
emit a loud, unpleasant kind of laughing
To make a sharp, broken noise or cry, as a hen or goose does.
To laugh with a broken sound similar to a hen's cry.
To talk in a silly manner; to prattle.
To pretend to rattle (dice) in one's hand while gripping them so that they maintain their orientation.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English caclen, cakelen, perhaps from Old English *caclian, *cacolian, from Proto-West Germanic *kakulōn, *kakilōn (“to cackle, gaggle, yelp, snarl”), perhaps of imitative origin.
Compare Dutch kakelen (“to cackle”), German Low German kakeln (“to cackle”), German kakeln (“to blather”), Danish kagle (“to cackle”), Swedish kackla (“to cackle”). Compare also Old English cahhetan, ċeahhettan (“to laugh loudly; cackle”), German gackern (“to cackle”).

Synonyms

chatter, yack, yak, yakety-yak

Scrabble Score: 14

cackle is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
cackle is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
cackle is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 17

cackle is a valid Words With Friends word