Both Uses
mirth
in
Things Fall Apart
(Edited)
- At the end, Unoka was able to give an answer between fresh outbursts of mirth.
p. 7.6 *mirth = laughter
- He laughed a mirthless laughter, and turned to his sons and daughters.
p. 134.4mirthless = without fun and joystandard suffix: The suffix "-less" in mirthless means without and reverses the meaning of mirth. This is the same pattern you see in words like harmless, fearless, and powerless.
Definitions:
-
(1)
(mirth) fun and laughter
- (2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)