I. ˈtrōl verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English trollen to ramble, roll, probably from Middle French troller to ramble, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle High German trollen to run with short steps — more at troll III
transitive verb
1. : to cause to move round and round : bowl , roll
trolled it … as a child does a hoop — R.S.B.Baker
2.
a. : to sing the parts of (as a round or catch) in succession
b. : to sing loudly or freely
c. : to celebrate in song
that all tongues shall troll you — Francis Beaumont & John Fletcher
3. : to speak or recite in a rolling voice or very rapidly
4. obsolete : to move very rapidly : wag
to dress and troll the tongue and roll the eye — John Milton
5.
a. : to angle for with a hook and line drawn through the water from a moving boat
b. : to angle in
troll the lakes — Jackson Rivers
c. : to pull through or as if through the water behind a boat
two or three surface lures were trolled continuously during daylight hours — Commercial Fisheries Review
intransitive verb
1. : to move around : circulate , roll
2. : to fish especially by drawing a hook along or through the water with a line behind a moving boat
trolled for bass — Walt Sibley
3.
a. : to take part in a troll : sing or play in a jovial manner : sound with a rolling tone
b. : to be constantly in mind (as a melody)
4. : to speak rapidly : wag the tongue
5. archaic : to pass from hand to hand
the wassail round in good brown bowls … blithely trolls — Sir Walter Scott
II. noun
( -s )
1. England : a hawker's cart : trolley
2.
a. : the process of trolling
b.
(1) : the lure (as a spoon) used in trolling
(2) : the line with its lure and hook used in trolling
3. : a song sung in parts successively : catch , round
4. : a slovenly or loose woman : trollop
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Norwegian troll & Danish trold, from Old Norse troll giant, fiend, demon; akin to Middle High German trolle ghostly monster, boor, lout, trollen to run with short steps, Old Norse tramr demon, monster, Middle High German tremen to totter, stagger, Middle Low German trampen to stamp, tread, Old English treppan to tread — more at trap
: a supernatural being in Germanic and Scandinavian folklore and mythology having sometimes the form of a dwarf and sometimes of a giant and inhabiting caves or hills