Cachinnation

Mr. Palmer had a keen perception of the ludicrous; he was naturally a humourist, which was indicated by a peculiar twinkle of the eye-lid at those times when he determined to repress a hearty cachinnation, and pursue the subject that tickled him to its utmost.

While reforming the language I crave leave to introduce an improvement of punctuation—the snigger point, or note of cachinnation. It is written thus ‿ and represents, as early as may be, a smiling mouth.

His shrill, mirthless cachinnation followed Monica as she headed up-hill.

After midnight their shrill notes burst into a kind of pandemoniac cachinnation which filled all the countryside, and not until dawn did they finally quiet down.