Past tense of cackle; laughed loudly or in a harsh, sharp way, like a hen or witch.
From cackle (verb), which is likely imitative/onomatopoetic in origin, possibly related to Middle English and Germanic sounds. The sharp, repetitive laughter resembles the sound a hen makes.
The word 'cackled' is beautifully onomatopoetic—say it aloud and you can almost hear the sharp, harsh laughter it describes, which is why witches and hens cackle in stories.
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