Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “droll” come from?

Droll comes from French drôle, from Middle French drolle, from Old Dutch drol, from Old Norse troll, from Proto-Germanic truzlą, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European derǝ-.

droll (English): Oddly humorous; whimsical, amusing in a quaint...

Definitions

  1. Oddly humorous; whimsical, amusing in a quaint...

Ancestry of “droll”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchdrôlefunny, amusing; strange, weird, bizarre
2Middle Frenchdrollefunny; amusing; joker
3Old Frenchdrolleone who lives luxuriously; joker
4Middle Dutchdrolfat little man, goblin
5Old Norsetrǫllwitch, mage, conjurer
6Proto-Germanictruzląa supernatural being; demon; fiend; giant;...
7Proto-Indo-Europeandreh₂-run; to run, escape

Words derived from “droll”

  • drolly
  • droller
  • drollness
  • drollish
  • drollist
Every word from Proto-Indo-European dreh₂- →