Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Chuckle

Chuckle , transitive verb

[From 1st Chuck.]

1.
To call, as a hen her chickens; to cluck. [Obsolete] — Dryden
2.
To fondle; to cocker. [Obsolete] — Dryden

Chuckle , noun

A short, suppressed laugh; the expression of satisfaction, exultation, or derision.

Chuckle , intransitive verb

[From 1st Chuck.]

To laugh in a suppressed or broken manner, as expressing inward satisfaction, exultation, or derision.