captors; also, the proceeds of wrecks, and derelict property at sea. The droits of admiralty are now paid
into the Exchequer for the public benefit.
Droitural
(Droi"tu*ral) a. (O. Eng. Law) relating to the mere right of property, as distinguished from the
right of possession; as, droitural actions. [Obs.] Burrill.
Droitzschka
(||Droitzsch"ka) n. See Drosky.
Droll
(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.
Droll
(Droll), n.
1. One whose practice it is to raise mirth by odd tricks; a jester; a buffoon; a merry-andrew. Prior.
2. Something exhibited to raise mirth or sport, as a puppet, a farce, and the like.
Droll
(Droll), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Drolled ; p. pr. & vb. n. Drolling.] To jest; to play the buffoon. [R.]
Droll
(Droll), v. t.
1. To lead or influence by jest or trick; to banter or jest; to cajole.
Men that will not be reasoned into their senses, may yet be laughed or drolled into them.
L'Estrange. 2. To make a jest of; to set in a comical light. [R.]
This drolling everything is rather fatiguing.
W. D. Howells. Droller
(Droll"er), n. A jester; a droll. [Obs.] Glanvill.
Drollery
(Droll"er*y) n.; pl. Drolleries [F. drôlerie. See Droll.]
1. The quality of being droll; sportive tricks; buffoonery; droll stories; comical gestures or manners.
The rich drollery of "She Stoops to Conquer."
Macaulay. 2. Something which serves to raise mirth; as: (a) A puppet show; also, a puppet. [Obs.] Shak. (b) A
lively or comic picture. [Obs.]
I bought an excellent drollery, which I afterward parted with to my brother George of Wotton.
Evelyn. Drollingly
(Droll"ing*ly), adv. In a jesting manner.
Drollish
(Droll"ish), a. Somewhat droll. Sterne.
Drollist
(Droll"ist), n. A droll. [R.] Glanvill.
