# drow

> English word · Noun · IPA /dɹəʊ/ · frequency rank #74,045

## Definitions
1. A member of a race of folkloric beings from Orkney and Shetland; cognate to the Scandinavian troll.
2. A member of a race of folkloric beings from Orkney and Shetland; cognate to the Scandinavian troll.
3. A member of a race of folkloric beings from Orkney and Shetland; cognate to the Scandinavian troll.
4. A member of a fictional race of dark elves in various fantasy settings, such as Dungeons & Dragons.
5. A fictional constructed language spoken by the Drow.

## 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.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/drow