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troll¹

( P ) Pronunciation Key (tr

l)
v. trolled, troll·ing, trolls
v. tr.

1. To fish for by trailing a baited line from behind a slowly moving boat.
2. To fish in by trailing a baited line: troll the lake for bass.
3. To trail (a baited line) in fishing.
Slang. To patrol (an area) in search for someone or something: “ [Criminals] troll bus stations for young runaways” (Pete Axthelm).
Music.
1. To sing in succession the parts of (a round, for example).
2. To sing heartily: troll a carol.
To roll or revolve.

v. intr.

To fish by trailing a line, as from a moving boat.
1. To wander about; ramble.
2. Slang. To patrol an area in search for someone or something.
Music. To sing heartily or gaily.
To roll or spin around.

1. The act of trolling for fish.
2. A lure, such as a spoon or spinner, that is used for trolling.
Music. A vocal composition in successive parts; a round.

[Middle English trollen, to wander about, from Old French troller, of Germanic origin.]

troller n.
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Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

troll²

( P ) Pronunciation Key (tr

l)
n.

A supernatural creature of Scandinavian folklore, variously portrayed as a friendly or mischievous dwarf or as a giant, that lives in caves, in the hills, or under bridges.

[Old Norse.]

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troll

n 1: (Scandanavian folklore) a supernatural creature (either a dwarf or a giant) that is supposed to live in caves or in the mountains 2: a partsong in which voices follow each other; one voice starts and others join in one after another until all are singing different parts of the song at the same time; "they enjoyed singing rounds" [syn: round] 3: a fisherman's lure that is used in trolling; "he used a spinner as his troll" 4: angling by drawing a baited line through the water [syn: trolling] v 1: circulate, move around 2: cause to move round and round; "The child trolled her hoop" 3: sing the parts of (a round) in succession 4: angle with a hook and line drawn through the water 5: sing loudly and without inhibition 6: praise or celebrate in song; "All tongues shall troll you" 7: speak or recite rapidly or in a rolling voice

troll

An array language for continuous simulation, econometric
modelling or statistical analysis.

["TROLL Reference Manual", D0062, Info Proc Services, MIT
(1973-76)].

troll

An electronic mail message, Usenet posting or other
(electronic) communication which is intentionally incorrect,
but not overtly controversial (compare flame bait), or the
act of sending such a message. Trolling aims to elicit an
emotional reaction from those with a hair-trigger on the reply
key. A really subtle troll makes some people lose their
minds.

(1994-10-17)

troll

v.,n. 1. [From the Usenet group alt.folklore.urban] To
utter a posting on Usenet designed to attract predictable
responses or flames; or, the post itself. Derives from the phrase
"trolling for newbies" which in turn comes from mainstream
"trolling", a style of fishing in which one trails bait through a
likely spot hoping for a bite. The well-constructed troll is a post
that induces lots of newbies and flamers to make themselves look
even more clueless than they already do, while subtly conveying to
the more savvy and experienced that it is in fact a deliberate
troll. If you don't fall for the joke, you get to be in on it. See
also YHBT. 2. An individual who chronically trolls in sense 1;
regularly posts specious arguments, flames or personal attacks to a
newsgroup, discussion list, or in email for no other purpose than to
annoy someone or disrupt a discussion. Trolls are recognizable by
the fact that the have no real interest in learning about the topic
at hand - they simply want to utter flame bait. Like the ugly
creatures they are named after, they exhibit no redeeming
characteristics, and as such, they are recognized as a lower form of
life on the net, as in, "Oh, ignore him, he's just a troll." 3.
[Berkeley] Computer lab monitor. A popular campus job for CS
students. Duties include helping newbies and ensuring that lab
policies are followed. Probably so-called because it involves
lurking in dark cavelike corners.

Some people claim that the troll (sense 1) is properly a narrower
category than flame bait, that a troll is categorized by containing
some assertion that is wrong but not overtly controversial. See
also Troll-O-Meter.