droll

[drohl] adjective, droll·er, droll·est, noun, verb
adjective
1.
amusing in an odd way; whimsically humorous; waggish.
noun
2.
a droll person; jester; wag.
verb (used without object)
3.
Archaic. to jest; joke.

Origin:
1615–25; < Middle French drolle pleasant rascal < Middle Dutch drol a fat little man

droll·ness, noun
drol·ly, adverb


1. diverting, odd, witty. See amusing. 2, 3. clown.


1. serious.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
droll (drəʊl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
amusing in a quaint or odd manner; comical
 
[C17: from French drôle scamp, from Middle Dutch: imp]
 
'drollness
 
n
 
'drolly
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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00:10
Droll is a GRE word you need to know.
So is glib. Does it mean:
to solicit business, employment, votes, or the like, importunately.
speaking very readily but insincerely
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

droll
1620s, from Fr. drole "odd, comical, funny" (1580s), in M.Fr. a noun meaning "a merry fellow," possibly from M.Du. drol "fat little fellow, goblin," or M.H.G. trolle "clown," ultimately from O.N. troll "giant, troll" (see troll (n.)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

droll

short comic scene or farce adapted from an existing play or created by actors, performed in England during the period of the Civil Wars and the Commonwealth (1642-60) while the London theatres were closed down by the Puritans. Because stage plays were prohibited at this time, actors developed other, shorter means of entertainment to circumvent the restrictions, performing drolls in inns and at fairs on improvised stages

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
The article was both droll and overdue.
Combining these shrubs with colorful, winter-blooming bulbs can sustain the
  avid gardener through the last droll months of winter.
With a pinch of the tongue-in-cheek and a pound of perseverance, this droll
  wolf story is a charmer.
The collage-and-paint illustrations of the mice are droll.
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