troll

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   someone who deliberately provokes or harasses people online

   The moderator removed the troll after repeated personal attacks.

2. 2
   verb

   to deliberately provoke or harass people online

   He was banned for trolling other users in every thread.

3. 3
   noun

   a supernatural creature from Scandinavian folklore, often large or grotesque

   The fairy tale warned children about the troll under the bridge.

4. 4
   verb

   to fish by drawing a baited line through the water

   They trolled for salmon near the mouth of the river.

Simplified etymology

Troll has two distinct histories. The name for a supernatural creature comes from Scandinavian folklore, while the verb meaning “to fish by trailing a baited line behind a boat” developed from an earlier verb meaning “to ramble” or “stroll.” The internet use appears to have begun with the fishing sense, but the noun internet troll subsequently became associated with the monster-like figure.

The wandering/fishing verb comes from Middle English trollen (to go about, roll, wander), of uncertain origin. The online sense extends the idea of baiting others.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary