Laughs in a quiet, disrespectful, or contemptuous way, often at someone else's expense.
From 'snicker' (1690s, imitative origin representing the sound). 'Snigger' is primarily British English; 'snicker' is American. Phonetic origins but carries social judgment.
The word itself is onomatopoeia—it sounds like sneaky, quiet laughter—and languages are full of laugh-words that reveal attitude: 'guffaw' is hearty, 'snigger' is mean, 'titter' is nervous.
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