"waggish, deliberately facetious, comical," 1620s, from French drôle "odd, comical, funny" (1580s), in Middle French a noun, drolle, draule, meaning "a merry fellow, buffoon," possibly from Middle Dutch drol "fat little fellow, goblin," or Middle High German trolle "clown," ultimately from Old Norse troll "giant, troll" (see troll (n.)). Related: Drolly; drollish.