drow

English

Alternative forms

• trow

Etymology

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.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /dɹəʊ/, /dɹaʊ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /dɹoʊ/, /dɹaʊ/
• Rhymes: -əʊ, -aʊ

Noun

drow (countable and uncountable, plural drow)

1. (Orkney, Shetland, mythology, dated, countable) A member of a race of folkloric beings from Orkney and Shetland; cognate to the Scandinavian troll.
   1. (folklore, Shetland) “hidden people” (Faroese huldufólk, Norwegian huldrefolk), subterraneans (Norwegian underjordiske, Swedish underjordiska, Gutnish di sma undar jordi), fairies, “troll-folk”, and thereof (Swedish oknytt)
   2. (folklore, Shetland) ghost; cognate to Scandinavian folklore of gnomes, wights, trolls, etc, being supernatural ghosts
   3. (folklore, Orkney) “The devil”, cognate to Scanian dråe (“devil”).
2. (fantasy roleplaying games, countable) A member of a fictional race of dark elves in various fantasy settings, such as Dungeons & Dragons.
3. (fantasy roleplaying games, uncountable) A fictional constructed language spoken by the Drow.

Synonyms

• (member of fictional race): dark elf

Derived terms

• drider

Translations

fictional dark elf

• Finnish: drow, musta haltia
• French: drow (fr) m or f
• Hungarian: sötéttünde
• Marathi: ड्राउ m (ḍrāu)

Drow language

• Marathi: ड्राउ f (ḍrāu)

folkloric being from Orkney and Shetlands

• Irish: please add this translation if you can

Anagrams

• Word, word

Scots

Pronunciation

• (noun 1) IPA^(key): [drʌu]
• noun 2 drou; dro͞o
• verb drou; drō

Etymology 1

(Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Noun

drow (plural drows)

1. (weather) A cold mist or a severe squall.
2. (medicine) A fit of illness or a qualm (compare dree)

Etymology 2

From Norn drog (“malevolent [undead] being, troll, gnome”), from Old Norse draugr (“malevolent [undead] being, revenant, phantom, troll”), from Proto-Germanic *draugaz (“phantom”). Merged with trow (“evil spirit, troll”).

Noun

drow (plural drows)

1. alternative form of trow, a malignant spirit

Verb

drow (third-person singular simple present drows, present participle drowin, simple past and past participle drowt)

1. alternative form of throw

References

• Webster’s New International Dictionary, Second Edition, 1934.

Vilamovian

drow (1)

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

drōw m (plural drowa)

1. soldier

Derived terms

• drōwafrȧj