Wiktionary

troll

See also: Troll, tröll, and trøll

English Edit

 
English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Pronunciation Edit

  • (UK) IPA(key): /tɹɒl/, /tɹəʊl/
  • (US) IPA(key): /tɹoʊl/, /tɹɑl/
  • Audio (AU)(file)
  • Rhymes: -əʊl, -ɒl

Etymology 1 Edit

From Norwegian or Swedish troll or Danish trold, from Old Norse trǫll (“witch, mage, conjurer”) (compare Icelandic tröll), related to Middle High German trolle (“spook, wraith, monster, ogre”).[1] From Proto-Germanic *truzlą (“a supernatural being; demon; fiend; giant; monster”). Norwegian fortrylle (“to bewitch”), Danish fortrylle (“to bewitch”), Norwegian and Danish trylle (“to conjure”) and Swedish trolla (“to conjure”). Doublet of droll.

Noun Edit

troll (plural trolls)

  1. (fantasy) A supernatural being of varying size, now especially a grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges. [from early 17th c.]
    • 1851, Benjamin Thorpe, Northern Mythology, volume II, page 7:
      He followed their advice, and rode through a rye-field, where the Trolls were unable to follow him, but in their exasperation cried after him, "The red cock shall crow over thy dwelling." And behold! his house stood in a blaze.
    • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 150:
      "Will you have a sausage, pussy?" said one of the trolls, and threw a hot frog right into the bear's jaw.
    • 1922, Eleanour Sinclair Rohde, The Old English Herbals, page 3:
      In these manuscripts we are again in an atmosphere of eotens and trolls, there are traces of even older terrors, when the first Teuton settlers in Europe struggled with the aborigines who lived in caves[.]
    • 2013 June 8, “Obama goes troll-hunting”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 55:
      The solitary, lumbering trolls of Scandinavian mythology would sometimes be turned to stone by exposure to sunlight. Barack Obama is hoping that several measures announced on June 4th will have a similarly paralysing effect on their modern incarnation, the patent troll.
  2. (slang) An ugly person of either sex, especially one seeking sexual experiences.
    • 2007, David Lubar, Hidden Talents:
      The way Torchie had talked about him, I expected him to be some kind of troll. But he could have passed for one of those actors who makes a couple of movies, gets real popular with the girls for a year or two, and then vanishes from sight.
    • 2009, Judy Chicago, Sarah Quinton, Jenni Sorkin, When Women Rule the World: Judy Chicago in Thread:
      In this work, the abject object - a sculpture of a fat, hairy woman - is heartbreakingly comforted by a text that claims the artist's love and desire to protect the 'ugly' troll.
    • 2010, Linda Francis Lee, The Devil in the Junior League:
      She sulked as we returned downstairs, her own more colorful clothes stuffed into her bright green shoulder bag. “I just wish I didn't have to dress like such a troll.”
    • 2011, R.E. Donald, Ice on the Grapevine:
      Sharon had no desire to talk to Alora Magee, but she was happy to get out of her cell and away from that disgusting troll and her irritating voice.
    • 2012, James Classi, Heatseeker, page 26:
      Edwin Baer was an ugly troll of a man. He stood just about five feet, six inches and maybe weighed 140 pounds soaking wet.
    • 2012, Thomas Appleby, Life in the Harsh Lane: The Nine Lives, Mishaps, and Adventures of a No-body, page 186:
      I liked one of the girls, Sarah, but her mate, the troll, was a total bitch from hell, probably because guys only fancied Sarah, so we hung out whilst the troll was obviously scheming how to steal my money.
    • 2014, Rock Rampant, Mauve Flush, page 280:
      So if you're hoping to get a fuck, you'll be out of luck, Hideous hag, You are an ugly troll,
  3. (astronomy, meteorology) Optical ejections from the top of the electrically active core regions of thunderstorms that are red in color that seem to occur after tendrils of vigorous sprites extend downward toward the cloud tops.
Derived terms Edit
Translations Edit

Etymology 2 Edit

From Middle English trollen (“to go about, stroll, roll from side to side”), from Old French troller (“to quest, to wander”) (French trôler), of Germanic origin, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *truzlōną (“to lumber”), which is probably related to *trudaną (“to tread, step on”). Related to Middle High German trollen (“to stroll”), Middle Low German drullen (“to stroll”).

Fishing sense possibly influenced by trawl and/or trail; internet sense influenced by Etymology 1.

Verb Edit

troll (third-person singular simple present trolls, present participle trolling, simple past and past participle trolled)

  1. (intransitive) To saunter. [from late 14th c.]
  2. (intransitive) To trundle, to roll from side to side. [from early 15th c.]
  3. (transitive, figurative) To draw someone or something out, to entice, to lure as if with trailing bait. [from the 1500s]
    • 1906, Thomas William Lawson, “Fools and Their Money: Some After-Claps of Frenzied Finance”, in Everybody's Magazine, volume XIV, number 5, page 690:
      It was necessary to troll them along two years with the hope of employing their usual methods, in order to get them to a place too far from their starting-point for retreat.
  4. (intransitive, fishing, by extension) To fish using a line and bait or lures trailed behind a boat similarly to trawling; to lure fish with bait. [from circa 1600]
    • 1834–1874, George Bancroft, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent:
      Their young men […] trolled along the brooks that abounded in fish.
  5. (transitive) To angle for with a trolling line, or with a hook drawn along the surface of the water; hence, to allure.
    • 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 153:
      My flies alone disturbed the placid waters. A half-grown-up lad, who was standing behind me on the bank, advised me to "troll with bait" — a cluster of worms fastened to the hook, which is dragged in jerks over the surface of the water — and offered to find the bait for me.
  6. (transitive) To fish in; to try to catch fish from.
  7. (slang, intransitive) To stroll about in order to find a sexual partner. [from 20th c.]
    Synonym: cruise
    He spends most of his waking hours trolling on WIRE.
  8. (transitive, intransitive, originally Internet slang) To post or make inflammatory or insincere statements so as to attempt to lure others into combative argument for purposes of personal entertainment or to manipulate others' perception, especially in an online community or discussion. [from late 20th c.]
Descendants Edit
  • Spanish: trolear
Translations Edit
to saunter — see saunter
to trundle — see trundle

Noun Edit

troll (plural trolls)

  1. An instance of trolling, especially, in fishing, the trailing of a baited line. [from circa 1600]
  3. (originally Internet slang) A person who posts or says inflammatory, insincere, digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages to provoke others on the Internet for their own personal amusement. [from late 20th c.]
    Hyponym: keyboard warrior
    Coordinate term: griefer
    • 2014 December 19, “Friday 2 January's best TV”, in The Guardian‎[1]:
      Katie Hopkins: My Fat Story 9pm, TLC. The professional troll and one-time Apprentice stirrer piles on the pounds in order to shed them in this two-part doc, which feels at times like an overly long This Morning item.
    • 2016 June 8, Quentin Hardy, “How Gaming Helped Launch the Attack of the Internet Trolls”, in New York Times‎[2]:
      From there, attacking people head-on — though almost always cloaked in anonymity — wasn’t a big leap. And so much more on the internet became like a game, only the score consisted of attention, outrage or approval from like-minded trolls.
    • 2018 October 30, David Streitfeld, “Where Trolls Reigned Free: A New History of Reddit”, in New York Times‎[3]:
      It was the place you went, shrouded in anonymity, for pornography, hard-core racism, revenge porn, Nazi cheerleading, Jew-baiting, creepshots, fat-shaming, mindless anarchy and pictures of dead kids or of women who had been beaten. If anyone bothered to look, Reddit was proof that on the internet, the trolls were in charge.
  4. (by extension, politics) Someone who sows discord, promotes misinformation, or spreads propaganda in order to promote an agenda as part of an organized political compaign.
    • 2019 November 19, Shashank Bengali, Evan Halper, “Troll armies, a growth industry in the Philippines, may soon be coming to an election near you”, in Los Angeles Times‎[4], Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-05-09:
      Already, U.S. operatives in both parties have made early efforts at using trolls for political gain. Rogue progressives stealthily launched fake social media campaigns against Roy Moore, the GOP nominee for Senate in Alabama, during a 2017 special election. Their campaign aimed to confuse voters into thinking Moore supported banning alcohol and that Russian bots were working on his behalf.
    • 2020 November 3, Sheera Frenkel, “Russian internet trolls are amplifying election fraud claims, researchers say.”, in The New York Times‎[5], New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-05-27:
      Social media accounts tied to a group of Russian trolls are amplifying claims of election fraud, according to researchers at the Election Integrity Partnership, a coalition of misinformation experts.
    • 2021 January 21, Steven Zeitchik, “Saudi trolls appear to target The Dissident on Rotten Tomatoes”, in The Washington Post‎[6], Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 22 January 2021:
      "The Dissident" saw as many as 500 low audience scores, out of just 2,400, flood the popular film-rating site Rotten Tomatoes on Jan. 12, filmmakers said, an act they believe came from trolls operating on behalf of the Saudi government to create a false sense of popular dissatisfaction.
    • 2022 February 28, Vincent Ni, “’They were fooled by Putin’: Chinese historians speak out against Russian invasion”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎[7], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-05-27:
      And, perhaps unsurprisingly, pro-war Chinese trolls denounced the authors – who are based in Nanjing, Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai – as "shameful" and "traitorous". "Why did you not say anything during the west's invasion in Iraq," one quipped sarcastically.
Derived terms Edit
Descendants Edit
Translations Edit
Translations Edit

Etymology 3 Edit

From Middle English trollen, trollin (“to walk, wander”). Cognate with Low German trullen (“to troll”).

Verb Edit

troll (third-person singular simple present trolls, present participle trolling, simple past and past participle trolled)

  1. (transitive, intransitive, obsolete) To move circularly; to roll; to turn. [from the 15th c.]
    • 1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
      Of lustful appetence, to sing, to dance,
      To dress, and troule the Tongue, and roule the Eye.
  2. (transitive, obsolete) To send about; to circulate, as a vessel in drinking.
  3. (transitive, intransitive, archaic) To sing the parts of in succession, as of a round, a catch, and the like; also, to sing loudly, freely or in a carefree way. [from the 16th c.]

Noun Edit

troll (plural trolls)

  1. The act of moving round; routine; repetition.
  2. A song whose parts are sung in succession; a catch; a round.
    • 1845, John Wilson, The genius and character of Burns:
      Thence the catch and troll, while "Laughter, holding both his sides," sheds tears to song and ballad pathetic on the woes of married life.
  3. (obsolete) A trolley.
Derived terms Edit

References Edit

  1. ^ Bokmål- og nynorskordboka, Universitetet i Oslo

Chinese Edit

Etymology Edit

From English troll.

Pronunciation Edit

Adjective Edit

troll

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, slang) trolly (tending to troll)
    • 2017 December 3, TRANSPARENCE 澈‎[8], number 37, page 5:
      可以，可以show 你個人有幾troll。
      Yes, it can show how trolly you are.

Verb Edit

troll

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, slang) to troll (to incite anger)

Derived terms Edit

French Edit

Pronunciation Edit

Etymology 1 Edit

From Swedish troll, from Old Norse troll, from Proto-Germanic *truzlą, from Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂-.

Noun Edit

troll m (plural trolls)

  1. troll (mythical being)

Etymology 2 Edit

Borrowed from English troll.

Noun Edit

troll m (plural trolls)

  1. troll (inflammatory poster on the Internet)
  2. (by extension) the act of trolling

Further reading Edit

Italian Edit

Etymology Edit

Unadapted borrowing from English troll.

Noun Edit

troll m (invariable)

  1. troll (grotesque person, Internet troll)

Derived terms Edit

Norwegian Bokmål Edit

 
Norwegian Bokmål Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nb
 
troll

Etymology Edit

From Old Norse trǫll, from Proto-Germanic *truzlą, from Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂-.

Pronunciation Edit

Noun Edit

troll n (definite singular trollet, indefinite plural troll, definite plural trolla or trollene)

  1. troll (supernatural being)

Derived terms Edit

References Edit

Norwegian Nynorsk Edit

Alternative forms Edit

Dialects

Etymology Edit

From Old Norse trǫll, from Proto-Germanic *truzlą, from Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂-.

Pronunciation Edit

  • IPA(key): /trolː/, [trɞ̞lː], (palatalisation) /troʎː/, [trɞ̞ʎː]

Noun Edit

troll n (definite singular trollet, indefinite plural troll, definite plural trolla)

  1. (folklore) an evil supernatural being
    • 1856, Ivar Aasen, Norske Ordsprog [Norwegian Proverbs]:
      Dat eine Trollet skræmer inkje dat andre.
      The one troll does not scare the other.
  2. a troll (a (often large) grotesque humanoid creature that lives in the forest or the mountain)
  3. a greedy, aggressive or violent animal or person
    • 2015, Olsen (lyrics and music), “Konstabel snus”, in Makt og ære, blod og spy, performed by Faensmakt:
      Ho mora va et troll å faren yrkesmilitær
      The mother was a troll and father a professional soldier
  4. a predator
  5. the name of various diseases, previously believed to be caused by evil beings

Derived terms Edit

References Edit

Polish Edit

 
Polish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia pl

Etymology Edit

Unadapted borrowing from English troll, from Old Norse trǫll.

Pronunciation Edit

Noun Edit

troll m anim

  1. troll (supernatural being)
  2. (colloquial, Internet slang) troll (person who provokes others)

Declension Edit

Declension of troll
singular plural
nominative troll trolle
genitive trolla trolli
dative trollowi trollom
accusative trolla trolle
instrumental trollem trollami
locative trollu trollach
vocative trollu trolle

Further reading Edit

  • troll in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
  • troll in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese Edit

Etymology Edit

Unadapted borrowing from English troll.

Noun Edit

troll m (plural trolls) (proscribed)

  1. Alternative spelling of trol

Derived terms Edit

Spanish Edit

Noun Edit

troll m (plural trolls)

  1. Alternative spelling of trol

Swedish Edit

 
Swedish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia sv

Etymology Edit

From Old Norse trǫll, from Proto-Germanic *truzlą, from Proto-Indo-European *dreh₂-.

Pronunciation Edit

Noun Edit

troll n

  1. (folklore) troll (supernatural being)
  2. troll (internet troll)

Declension Edit

Declension of troll 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative troll trollet troll trollen
Genitive trolls trollets trolls trollens

Derived terms Edit

Related terms Edit

References Edit

Yola Edit

Etymology Edit

From Middle English trollen, from Old French troller.

Verb Edit

troll (present participle trolleen)

  1. to roll

References Edit

  • Jacob Poole (1867), 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, page 73
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