Both Uses of
mirth
in
The Scarlet Pimpernel
- She laughed—a mirthless, bitter, contemptuous laugh, which was like a jarring chord in the music of her voice.†
Chpt 7 *mirthless = without fun and laughterstandard 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.
- So she lingered on under the pretty porch, while through the gaily-lighted dormer-window of the coffee-room sounds of laughter, of calls for "Sally" and for beer, of tapping of mugs, and clinking of dice, mingled with Sir Percy Blakeney's inane and mirthless laugh.†
Chpt 8
Definition:
fun and laughter