Droll (?), a. [Compar. Droller (?); superl. Drollest (?).] [F. drole; cf. G. & D. drollig, LG. drullig, D. drol a thick and short person, a droll, Sw. troll a magical appearance, demon, trolla to use magic arts, enchant, Dan. trold elf, imp, Icel. troll giant, magician, evil spirit, monster. If this is the origin, cf. Trull.]
Queer, and fitted to provoke laughter; ludicrous from oddity; amusing and strange.
Syn. -- Comic; comical; farcical; diverting; humorous; ridiculous; queer; odd; waggish; facetious; merry; laughable; ludicrous. -- Droll, Laughable, Comical. Laughable is the generic term, denoting anything exciting laughter or worthy of laughter; comical denotes something of the kind exhibited in comedies, something humorous of the kind exhibited in comedies, something, as it were, dramatically humorous; droll stands lower on the scale, having reference to persons or things which excite laughter by their buffoonery or oddity. A laughable incident; a comical adventure; a droll story.
© Webster 1913.
Droll, n.
1.
One whose practice it is to raise mirth by odd tricks; a jester; a buffoon; a merry-andrew.
Prior.
2.
Something exhibited to raise mirth or sport, as a puppet, a farce, and the like.
© Webster 1913.
Droll, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Drolled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Drolling.]
To jest; to play the buffoon.
[R.]
© Webster 1913.
Droll, v. t.
1.
To lead or influence by jest or trick; to banter or jest; to cajole.
Men that will not be reasoned into their senses, may yet be laughed or drolled into them.
L'Estrange.
2.
To make a jest of; to set in a comical light.
[R.]
This drolling everything is rather fatiguing.
W. D. Howells.
© Webster 1913.