drow

The story

1. Old Norse · derived fromtrǫll“troll, malevolent supernatural being”
2. Norn · derived fromtroll
3. Old Norse · derived fromdraugr“malevolent revenant”
4. Norn · derived from*drou
5. Scots · derived fromdrow
6. English todaydrow

From Shetlandic and Orcadian Scots drow, from Norn *drou, *drau (compare 18th c. Norwegian drau, modern drov, drauv), alternatively *drog, from Old Norse draugr (“malevolent revenant”); along the variation trow, intermixed with Norn troll, from Old Norse trǫll (“troll, malevolent supernatural being”), a partial synonym to draugr. L-vocalisation occurred in the early 15th century in Middle Scots, so trolly, knolls probably became *trowie, knowes around this time.

Words from the same roots