rires

Rires is the plural form of the French noun rire, which means laughter. The singular form is rire, referring to a laugh or to laughter in general, while ri res is used when describing multiple laughs or the phenomenon of laughter.

Etymology and related terms: rire comes from Old French and ultimately from Latin risus, meaning laughter or a laugh. The word is related to related French forms such as riant (smiling) and to the verb rire, which expresses the act of laughing.

Usage and meaning: Rires denotes plural occurrences of laughter and is used in both everyday language and formal writing. It can describe the sound of laughter, the social act of laughing, or laughter as a characteristic of a scene or mood. Common expressions include des rires étouffés (stifled laughs) and des rires contagieux (contagious laughter). In narrative and journalism, ri res helps convey tone, social interaction, and humor, and may be contrasted with silence, tension, or other emotions.

In English-language contexts, ri res is primarily encountered as a French word and is usually translated as "laughter" or "laughs" depending on the sentence. See also Laughter; Rire; Humour.