Where does “troll” come from?

troll (Norwegian) comes from Old Norse trǫll, from Proto-Germanic truzlą, from Proto-Indo-European dreh₂- — run; to run, escape.

Ancestry of “troll”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsetrǫllwitch, mage, conjurer
2Proto-Germanictruzląa supernatural being; demon; fiend; giant;...
3Proto-Indo-Europeandreh₂-run; to run, escape

Words derived from “troll”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dreh₂- →Every word from Proto-Germanic truzlą →Every word from Old Norse trǫll →