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Glite Dictionary
😬 A muscle spasm 😊 Laughter or smile
risus

risus

9.9
A small smile or soft laugh showing gentle pleasure
  • noun
  • /ˈraɪsəs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : risa
  • He greeted the news with a quiet risus, betraying his amusement.

Examples

  • The old painting captured a moment of pure risus among friends.

  • A gentle risus played on her lips as she listened to the story.

  • Her risus echoed through the hall.

  • The poet described a joyful risus in his verses.

  • A gentle risus played on her lips as she listened to the story.

  • He greeted the news with a quiet risus, betraying his amusement.

  • The old painting captured a moment of pure risus among friends.

Synonyms

laughter
vsrisus
641 1.0

The sound people make when they find something funny

is an older literary word used for that expression and for a smile
mirth
vsrisus
15 6.1

Great happiness that people show by laughing

is an archaic literary term for a short visible sign of joy

How Amused

guffaw
7 6.1
risus
  • Archaic
9.9
smile
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

risus singular
risuses plural

Etymology

Risus comes from Latin ridere 'to laugh' and was used in old or poetic English to mean a smile or soft laugh, the same root you find in words like ridiculous and ridicule. So when writers use risus they mean a gentle 'laughter' or smile.