What does "cackle" mean?

Cackle: To laugh with a broken noise, like the cackling of a hen or a goose; to giggle. Arbuthnot.

Additional senses

  1. 2.To talk in a silly manner; to prattle. Johnson.
  2. 3.The sharp broken noise made by a goose or by a hen that has laid an egg. By her cackle saved the state. Dryden.
  3. 4.Idle talk; silly prattle. There is a buzz and cackle all around regarding the sermon. Thackeray.

Sources