%droll%

a. [ Compar. Droller superl. Drollest ] [ F. drôle; 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. tröll 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One whose practice it is to raise mirth by odd tricks; a jester; a buffoon; a merry-andrew. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Something exhibited to raise mirth or sport, as a puppet, a farce, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Drolled p. pr. & vb. n. Drolling. ] To jest; to play the buffoon. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To lead or influence by jest or trick; to banter or jest; to cajole. [ 1913 Webster ]

Men that will not be reasoned into their senses, may yet be laughed or drolled into them. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To make a jest of; to set in a comical light. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

This drolling everything is rather fatiguing. W. D. Howells. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A jester; a droll. [ Obs. ] Glanvill. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Drolleries [ F. drôlerie. See Droll. ] 1. The quality of being droll; sportive tricks; buffoonery; droll stories; comical gestures or manners. [ 1913 Webster ]

The rich drollery of “She Stoops to Conquer.” Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Something which serves to raise mirth; as: (a) A puppet show; also, a puppet. [ Obs. ] Shak. (b) A lively or comic picture. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I bought an excellent drollery, which I afterward parted with to my brother George of Wotton. Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a jesting manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Somewhat droll. Sterne. [ 1913 Webster ]