to laugh or chuckle, esp in satisfaction or exultation
‘O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!’ he chortled in his joy — Lewis Carroll
‘Ah well,’ he chortled. ‘In Tonga we hear things a little late.’ — Simon Winchester
chortle noun
chortler noun
[blend of chuckle1 and snort1, portmanteau word invented by Lewis Carroll]