troll

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /tɹɒl/, /tɹəʊl/ (General American) IPA(key): /tɹɑl/, /tɹoʊl/ Rhymes: -ɒl, -əʊl === Etymology 1 === Partly: from Middle English trol (“demon (?); sorcerer (?)”) [and other forms], from Old Norse trǫll (“conjurer, mage; witch”), from Proto-Germanic *truzlą (“supernatural being; demon, fiend; giant; monster”), probably from *trudaną (“to step on; to tread”) + *-ilą (suffix forming agent nouns); and borrowed from Norwegian Bokmål troll, Swedish troll, or Danish trold, from Old Norse trǫll (see above). Doublet of droll and trow. ==== Noun ==== troll (plural trolls) (originally Scandinavian mythology, now also European folklore and fantasy) a giant supernatural being, especially a grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges. [from early 17th c.] Synonym: (Orkney, Shetland, dated) trow (by extension) (derogatory, slang) An ugly or unpleasant person. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:ugly person Antonyms: see Thesaurus:beautiful person (astronomy, meteorology) An optical ejection from the top of the electrically active core region of a thunderstorm that is red in colour and seems to occur after tendrils of vigorous sprites extend downward towards cloudtops. (informal, Michigan) A Michigander who lives on the mainland, i.e. not a resident of the Upper Peninsula, so named due to living south of the Mackinaw Bridge. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === The verb is derived from Middle English trollen (“to go about, wander; to move (something) to and fro, rock; to roll; to turn”) [and other forms], of uncertain origin; perhaps in part from Old French troller (“to run here and there; to walk aimlessly, ramble, stroll; (hunting) to wander about looking for game”) (modern French troller); further etymology uncertain, yet probably from or related to Middle High German trollen (“to stroll, walk with short strides”) (modern German trollen (“to move slowly, trundle; to push off, toddle off”)), ultimately from Proto-Germanic *truzlōną (“to lumber”), which is probably related to *trudaną (“to step on, tread”) (see further at etymology 1). Doublet of trull. Verb etymology 2, verb sense 4.2.2 (“to fish using a line and bait or lures trailed behind a boat”) is possibly influenced by trail and/or trawl. The noun is probably derived from the verb. Noun etymology 2, noun sense 4 (“person who makes or posts inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure others into combative argument”) is possibly influenced by troll (etymology 1). ==== Verb ==== troll (third-person singular simple present trolls, present participle trolling, simple past and past participle trolled) Senses relating to a rolling motion. (transitive) To move (something, especially a round object) by, or as if by, rolling; to bowl, to roll, to trundle. [from 15th c.] (obsolete) Often followed by in: to cause (something) to flow or roll in like a stream. (intransitive) To roll; also, to turn round and round; to rotate, to spin, to whirl. [from early 15th c.] To move or walk at a leisurely pace; to ramble, to saunter, to stroll. [from late 14th c.] (specifically, slang) Chiefly of a man: synonym of cruise (“to stroll about to find a (male) sexual partner”). [from 20th c.] (obsolete) Followed by in: to flow or roll in like a stream. Senses relating to the motion of passing around. (transitive) (music, archaic) To sing the parts of (a catch, round, or similar song) in succession; also (generally), to sing (a song) freely or in a carefree way, or loudly. [from 16th c.] (obsolete) To pass (something, specifically a bowl or other communal drinking vessel) from one person to another; to circulate, to send about. (intransitive) (archaic) Of bells: to ring a sequence of tones in a resounding manner. (music, archaic) Of a person: to sing the parts of a catch, round, or similar song in succession; also (generally), to sing freely or in a carefree way, or loudly. (music, archaic) Of a song: to be sung freely or in a carefree way, or loudly; also, of a tune: to be constantly in someone's mind. (obsolete) Of a bowl or other communal drinking vessel, or the drink inside it: to be passed around from one person to another. Senses relating to a light, quick motion. (transitive) To say (something) lightly and quickly, or in a deep, resounding voice. (obsolete) To move (the tongue) lightly and quickly when speaking. (intransitive) To speak lightly and quickly, or in a deep, resounding voice. (obsolete) To move lightly and quickly; especially of the tongue when speaking; to wag. Senses relating to fishing. (transitive) (fishing) To fish in (a place) using a running fishing line (that is, a line with a hook on the end which is drawn along the water surface, possibly a line which would originally have been spooled on to a troll (etymology 2, noun etymology 2, noun sense 8.1)). (figurative) To attract or draw out (someone or something); to allure, to elicit, to entice, to lure. [from 16th c.] (intransitive) (fishing) To fish using a running fishing line. (fishing, Scotland, US) To fish using a line and bait or lures trailed behind a boat similarly to trawling. [from c. 1600] Senses relating to "fishing" for a reaction. (figurative, originally Internet slang) To post irrelevant or inflammatory statements in an online discussion in an attempt to start a heated argument or to derail a conversation, either for one's personal entertainment or as part of an organized political campaign. [from late 20th c.] (by extension) To persistently harass someone over the Internet. (by extension, colloquial) To prank, tease, or mess with someone in a lighthearted way. Synonym: punk ===== Conjugation ===== ===== Alternative forms ===== trowl, trowle (archaic) ===== Derived terms ===== self-trolling troller trolling (noun) ===== Descendants ===== → Spanish: trolear → Portuguese: trolar → French: troller → Italian: trollare → German: trollen → Swedish: trolla → Turkish: trollemek ===== Translations ===== ==== Noun ==== troll (plural trolls) An act of moving round; a repetition, a routine. (fishing) An act of fishing by using a running fishing line, or by trailing a line with bait or lures behind a boat. [from c. 1600] A fishing line, bait, or lure used to fish in these ways. (figurative, originally Internet slang) An inflammatory or insincere statement posted in an attempt to lure others into combative argument (a flame war), originally a way for regulars (long-time users) to poke light-hearted fun at new posters (especially in Usenet newsgroups) and promote in-group cohesion ("trolling for newbies"). Synonyms: bait, flamebait, ragebait (by extension, originally Internet slang) A person who makes or posts inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure others into combative argument for purposes of personal entertainment or to manipulate their perception, especially in an online community or discussion. [from late 20th c.] Hyponym: keyboard warrior Synonyms: ragebaiter, baiter Coordinate term: griefer (by extension, politics) A person who sows discord, or spreads misinformation or propaganda, in order to promote an agenda as part of an organized political campaign. (by extension, derogatory, informal) A company, person, etc., that owns and legally enforces copyrights, patents, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights in an aggressive and opportunistic manner, often with no intention of commercially exploiting the subjects of the rights. Hyponyms: copyright troll, patent troll, trademark troll (music) A song the parts of which are sung in succession; a catch, a round. (obsolete) A small wheel; specifically (fishing), the reel or winch of a fishing line. (except British, dialectal) A trolley. Obsolete form of trull (“a harlot”). ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== → Korean: 트롤 (teurol) → Spanish: trol → Ukrainian: троль (trolʹ) → Welsh: trol (“cart”) ===== Translations ===== === References === === Further reading === troll on Wikipedia.Wikipedia trolling (fishing) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia troll (slang) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia troll (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia == Chinese == === Etymology === From English troll. === Pronunciation === === Adjective === troll (Hong Kong Cantonese, slang) trolly (tending to troll) === Verb === troll (Hong Kong Cantonese, slang) to troll (to incite anger) ==== Derived terms ==== == French == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /tʁɔl/ === Etymology 1 === From Swedish troll, from Old Norse troll, from Proto-Germanic *truzlą, from Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂-. ==== Noun ==== troll m (plural trolls) troll (mythical being) === Etymology 2 === Borrowed from English troll. ==== Noun ==== troll m (plural trolls) troll (inflammatory poster on the Internet) (by extension) the act of trolling === Further reading === “troll”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012 == German == === Pronunciation === === Verb === troll singular imperative of trollen == Hungarian == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English troll. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [ˈtrolː] Hyphenation: troll Rhymes: -olː === Noun === troll (plural trollok) troll (grotesque person, Internet troll) ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== trollkodik == Italian == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English troll. === Noun === troll m (invariable) troll (grotesque person, Internet troll) ==== Derived terms ==== trollare == Norwegian Bokmål == === Etymology === From Old Norse trǫll, from Proto-Germanic *truzlą, from Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂-. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /trol/, [tɾɔl] Rhymes: -ɔl === Noun === troll n (definite singular trollet, indefinite plural troll, definite plural trolla or trollene) troll (supernatural being) ==== Derived terms ==== === References === “troll” in The Bokmål Dictionary. == Norwegian Nynorsk == === Alternative forms === === Etymology === From Old Norse trǫll, from Proto-Germanic *truzlą, from Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂-. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /trolː/, [trɞ̞lː], (palatalisation) /troʎː/, [trɞ̞ʎː] === Noun === troll n (definite singular trollet, indefinite plural troll, definite plural trolla) (folklore) an evil supernatural being a troll (a (often large) grotesque humanoid creature that lives in the forest or the mountain) a greedy, aggressive or violent animal or person a predator the name of various diseases, previously believed to be caused by evil beings ==== Derived terms ==== === References === “troll” in The Nynorsk Dictionary. == Polish == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English troll. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈtrɔl/ Rhymes: -ɔl Syllabification: troll === Noun === troll m animal (European folklore, Norse mythology) troll (grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges) (colloquial, derogatory, Internet slang) troll (person who makes or posts inflammatory or insincere statements in an attempt to lure others into combative argument for purposes of personal entertainment or to manipulate their perception, especially in an online community or discussion; also, such a statement) ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === troll in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN troll in Polish dictionaries at PWN trolle in PWN's encyclopedia troll at Obserwatorium językowe Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego == Portuguese == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English troll. === Noun === troll m (plural trolls) alternative spelling of trol ==== Derived terms ==== trollar === Further reading === “troll”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Spanish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈtɾol/ [ˈt̪ɾol] Rhymes: -ol Syllabification: troll === Etymology 1 === Unadapted borrowing from Norwegian troll. ==== Noun ==== troll m or f by sense (plural trolls) alternative form of trol (“fantasy”) === Etymology 2 === Unadapted borrowing from English troll. ==== Noun ==== troll m or f by sense (plural trolls) alternative form of trol (“internet”) === Usage notes === According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed. === Further reading === Seco, Manuel; Andrés, Olimpia; Ramos, Gabino (2023), “troll”, in Diccionario del español actual (in Spanish), third digital edition, Fundación BBVA “troll”, in Diccionario panhispánico de dudas [Panhispanic Dictionary of Doubts] (in Spanish), 2nd edition, Royal Spanish Academy; Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, 2023, →ISBN «trol», y no «troll» | FundéuRAEFundéuRAE == Swedish == === Etymology === From Old Norse trǫll, from Proto-Germanic *truzlą, from Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂-. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /trɔlː/ === Noun === troll n (folklore) a troll (supernatural being) a troll (internet troll) ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Related terms ==== trolla (“do magic”) ==== See also ==== väsen === References === “troll”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish) “troll”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) “troll”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish) == Yola == === Etymology === From Middle English trollen, from Old French troller. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /trɔl/ === Verb === troll (present participle trolleen) to roll === References === Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 73