From French drôle, from drôle from Middle French drolle from Old French drolle, from Middle Dutch drol, itself from Old Norse troll, from Proto-Germanic *truzlą.

• (RP) IPA: /dɹəʊl/
• (America) IPA: /dɹoʊl/
• (Canada) IPA: [dɹoːɫ]

droll (comparative droller, superlative drollest)

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

   Synonyms: Thesaurus:witty

• French: fantaisiste
• German: drollig
• Portuguese: engraçado
• Russian: чудной
• Spanish: extrañamente divertido

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.

droll (drolls, present participle drolling; simple past and past participle drolled)

1. (archaic) To jest, to joke.
   • 1886 May 1 – July 31, Robert Louis Stevenson, “The Flight in the Heather: The Heugh of Corrynakeigh”, in Kidnapped, being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: […], London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 1886, →OCLC ↗, page 205 ↗:

     "Eh, man," said I, drolling with him a little, "you're very ingenious! But would it not be simpler for you to write him a few words in black and white?" / "And that is an excellent observe, Mr. Balfour of Shaws," says Alan, drolling with me; [...]

1. Surname.