Word: troll Part of Speech: verb Etymology: 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). Cognates * Middle Low German drullen (“to stroll”) (Low German trullen (“to troll”)) Pronunciation: /tɹɒl/, /tɹəʊl/, /tɹɑl/, /tɹoʊl/ 1. Senses relating to a rolling motion. Labels: transitive Example: Take trustie (to trust to) that thinkest to thee, / That trustily thriftines trowleth to thee. Example: [T]o trovvle in the caſh throughout all nations chriſtendome there is no fellovve to the red herring. 2. Senses relating to a rolling motion. Labels: obsolete, transitive 3. Senses relating to a rolling motion. Labels: intransitive Example: Mrs Putler, this is Lady—Lady—these tamn'd Southern names rin out o' my head like a stane trowling down hill— […] 4. Senses relating to a rolling motion. Labels: intransitive Example: Prepoſt'rous foole, thou troul'ſt amiſſe: / Thou err'ſt; That's not the vvay, 'Tis this: / Thy hopes, inſtructed by thine Eye, / Make thee appeare more neare than I; […] 5. Senses relating to a rolling motion. Labels: intransitive, slang, specifically 6. Senses relating to a rolling motion. Labels: intransitive, obsolete Example: This little ape gets money by the sack-full, / It trolls upon her. 7. Senses relating to the motion of passing around. Labels: archaic, transitive Example: [Caliban] Thou mak'ſt me merry: I am full of pleaſure, Let vs be iocond. VVill you troule the Catch You taught me but vvhileare? Example: His Sonnets charm'd the attentive Crowd, / By wide-mouth'd Mortal troul'd aloud; […] 8. Senses relating to the motion of passing around. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: And Tyb my wyfe, that as her lyfe / loueth well good ale to ſeeke, / Full ofte drynkes ſhee, tyll ye may ſee / the teares run downe her cheekes: / Then dooth ſhe trowle, to mee the bowle / euen as a mault worme shuld, / And ſayth ſweete hart, I took my part / of this ioly good ale and olde. Example: Trowle the boll, the iolly Nut-browne boll, / And here kind mate to thee: / Let's ſing a dirge for Saint Hughes ſoule, / And downe it merrily. 9. Senses relating to the motion of passing around. Labels: archaic, intransitive 10. Senses relating to the motion of passing around. Labels: archaic, intransitive Example: The Greeks figured Pan, the god of Nature, now terribly stamping his foot, so that armies were dispersed; now by the woodside on a summer noon trolling on his pipe until he charmed the hearts of upland ploughmen. Example: [H]e trolled with ample lungs; and the sound of his voice took hold upon the hillside and set the air shaking in the leafy glens. 11. Senses relating to the motion of passing around. Labels: archaic, intransitive Example: I have had the moſt happy invention this morning, and a Tune trouling in my head; […] Example: Then he strolled away, an air from "The Grand Duchess" lightly trolling from his lips. 12. Senses relating to the motion of passing around. Labels: intransitive, obsolete Example: Novv the cups trole about to vvet the goſſips vvhiſtles / It poures dovvne I faith, they neuer thinke of payment. Example: Well can the green-garbed ranger tell, / How, when, and where, the monster fell; / […] / While round the merry wassel bowl, / Garnished with ribbons, blithe did trowl. 13. Senses relating to a light, quick motion. Labels: transitive Example: VVhat does hee elſe but cant? Or if he runne / To his Iudiciall Aſtrologie, / And trovvle the Trine, the Quartile and the Sextile, / […] / Does not he cant? VVho here does vnderſtand him? Example: But they [people from Pisa] speak well out, trolling the words clearly over the tongue. 14. Senses relating to a light, quick motion. Labels: obsolete, transitive Example: [T]hat fair femal Troop […] / Bred onely and completed to the taſte / Of luſtful appetence, to ſing, to dance, / To dreſs, and troule the Tongue, and roule the Eye. 15. Senses relating to a light, quick motion. Labels: intransitive Example: Such ſhuld be our trollynges⸝ Chriſt vs ſo teacheth / Commaunding euer peace⸝ amonges vs for to be / Vntruly he trolleth⸝ that otherwyſe preacheth / Styreng to any ſedicion⸝ malyce or enuye 16. Senses relating to a light, quick motion. Labels: intransitive, obsolete Example: Fill him but a boule, it will make his tongue troule, / For flowing speech flows from a [pot of good ale]. Example: His tongue troules like a Mill-clack: a towzes the Lady ſiſters, as a tumbling Dog does young Rabets; […] 17. Senses relating to fishing. Labels: transitive Example: Chearful at morn he vvakes from ſhort repoſe, / Breaſts the keen air, and carrols as he goes; / VVith patient angle trolls the finny deep, / Or drives his vent'rous plovv-ſhare to the ſteep. 18. Senses relating to fishing. Labels: figuratively, transitive Example: One while they courſing went / Upon the top of all the ſkie: anon againe full round / They troll me downe to lower wayes and nearer to the ground. Example: [M]y houſe is haunted / By a levvd packe of theeves, of harlots, murtherers, / Rogues, vagabonds, I foſter a decoy here, / And ſhe trovvles on her ragged cuſtomer, / To cut my throat for pillage. 19. Senses relating to fishing. Labels: intransitive Example: I, nor chuſe to bear / The thieviſh nightly net, not barbed ſpear: / Nor drain I ponds the golden carp to take, / Nor trovvle for pikes, diſpeoplers of the lake. Example: 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. 20. Senses relating to fishing. Labels: Scotland, US, intransitive Example: Their young men […] trolled along the brooks that abounded in fish. 21. Senses relating to "fishing" for a reaction. Labels: figuratively Example: Don't pay attention to that guy, he's always trolling this board. Example: When an argument gets heated, it can often be difficult to figure out who's serious and who's just trolling. 22. Senses relating to "fishing" for a reaction. Labels: broadly Example: Many people have been trolling me due to my activism, but I don't let it get to me. Example: No one who spoke to Al Jazeera seemed surprised that 54 percent of girls had suffered some form of online harassment. […] Internet psychologist Graham Jones offers some explanations as to the mentality of people who troll online. In an email to Al Jazeera he explained that some forms of trolling could be unintentional. 23. Senses relating to "fishing" for a reaction. Labels: broadly, colloquial Example: The actress was widely trolled online after accidentally revealing that she didn't know the names of the continents. Example: This is lazy outrage bait. But I am biting anyway, because while Time could have trolled readers by calling a ban for the word on "feminist" any time, the magazine is considering it in a year when the conversation about the meaning of the term is as rich as it has been in some time–even if some of that conversation is being conducted through mass culture.