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droll

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: Droll

English

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Etymology

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From French drôle (comical, odd, funny), from drôle (buffoon) from Middle French drolle (a merry fellow, pleasant rascal) from Old French drolle (one who lives luxuriously), from Middle Dutch drol (fat little man, goblin), itself from Old Norse troll, from Proto-Germanic *truzlą.[1] Doublet of drôle.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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droll (comparative droller, superlative drollest)

  1. Oddly humorous; whimsical, amusing in a quaint way; waggish.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:witty

Derived terms

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Translations

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Noun

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droll (plural drolls)

  1. (archaic) A funny person; a buffoon, a wag.
    • 1751, [Tobias] Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle [], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., [], →OCLC:
      The lieutenant was a droll in his way, Peregrine possessed a great fund of sprightliness and good humour, and Godfrey, among his other qualifications already recited, sung a most excellent song [] .
    • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 12: The Cyclops]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, [], →OCLC, part II [Odyssey], page 294:
      Our two inimitable drolls did a roaring trade with their broadsheets among lovers of the comedy element and nobody who has a corner in his heart for real Irish fun without vulgarity will grudge them their hardearned pennies.

Translations

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Verb

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droll (third-person singular simple present drolls, present participle drolling, simple past and past participle drolled)

  1. (archaic) To jest, to joke.

Derived terms

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Translations

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References

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Anagrams

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Icelandic

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Etymology

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See the verb drolla (to loiter).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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droll n (genitive singular drolls, no plural)

  1. dawdling, loitering

Declension

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