troll

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A troll is someone who posts mean or annoying comments online.

When we talk about trolls, most people think of them as those pesky internet users who love to argue and insult others on social media. They might post something hurtful or irrelevant just to stir up trouble. But the word "troll" actually has a broader meaning that's been around for longer than the internet. If you're walking along a river, a troll could be a mythical creature from old stories, often depicted as ugly and mischievous. It's this mythological sense of the word that might influence how people use it online – implying someone who's trying to stir up trouble or cause problems.

How common is "troll"?

Word troll is considered rare in modern English.
It appears most frequently in fiction texts and less often in other writings.

Definitions

noun

(originally Scandinavian mythology, now also European folklore and fantasy) a giant supernatural being, especially a grotesque humanoid creature living in caves or hills or under bridges.
An ugly or unpleasant person.
An optical ejection from the top of the electrically active core region of a thunderstorm that is red in colour and seems to occur after tendrils of vigorous sprites extend downward towards cloudtops.
A Michigander who lives on the mainland, i.e. not a resident of the Upper Peninsula, so named due to living south of the Mackinaw Bridge.

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