risible

risible

English

WOTD – 15 May 2007

Etymology

From Middle French risible and directly from Late Latin rīsibilis, from Latin rīsus (“laughter”) + -ibilis, from the perfect passive participle of rīdeō (“laugh”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹɪzɪbəl/, /ˈɹaɪzɪbəl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

risible (comparative more risible, superlative most risible)

1. Of or pertaining to laughter

   the risible muscles

   • 1912, Arthur Quiller-Couch, Hocken and Hunken, ch. 20:

     A joke merely affected her with silent convulsive twitchings, as though the risible faculties struggled somewhere within her but could not bring the laugh to birth.

2. Provoking laughter; ludicrous; ridiculous; humorously insignificant
   • 1822, [Walter Scott], chapter XI, in Peveril of the Peak. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co., OCLC 2392685, page 277:

     " […] I hope you find nothing risible in my complaisance?" replied his companion, something jealously.

3. (of a person) Easily laughing; prone to laughter
   • 1674, Anonymous [Richard Allestree?], “Of Scoffing and Deriſion”, in The Government of the Tongue‎, At the Theater in Oxford, page 119:

     We are got indeed into a merry world, Laughing is our main buſiniſs; as if becauſe it has bin made part of the Definition of man, that he his Riſible, his man-hood conſiſted in nothing elſe.

   • 1897, Thomas Hardy, The Well-Beloved. ch. 8:

     She was half risible, half concerned.

Synonyms

• (provoking laughter): funny, laughable, ludicrous

Related terms

• deridable
• derisible
• laughable

Translations

pertaining to laughter

German: Lach- (in composite words) Italian: risibile (it) m Polish: śmiechowy Russian: смеховой (ru) (smexovoj) Spanish: risible (es)

provoking laughter

Finnish: naurettava (fi), hupaisa (fi), huvittava (fi) German: lachhaft Italian: risibile (it) m Polish: śmieszny (pl) Portuguese: risível (pt) Russian: смешной (ru) (smešnoj) Spanish: risible (es) Swedish: löjlig (sv), skrattretande (sv) Turkish: gülünç (tr)

prone to laughter

German: lachlustig Polish: wesoły (pl) Russian: смешливый (ru) (smešlivyj)

Anagrams

• birlies

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French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin rīsibilis, from rīdeō (“to laugh”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʁi.zibl/

Adjective

risible (plural risibles)

1. risible, laughable

Derived terms

• risiblement

Related terms

• rire

Further reading

• “risible”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

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Spanish

Etymology

From Late Latin rīsibilis, from rīdeō (“to laugh”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /riˈsible/ [riˈsi.β̞le]
• Rhymes: -ible
• Syllabification: ri‧si‧ble

Adjective

risible (plural risibles)

1. risible, laughable

Further reading

• “risible”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014