The Spanish verb 'trolear' is a modern borrowing from the English internet slang term 'troll', combined with the Spanish verb-forming suffix '-ear'. In internet culture, 'to troll' means to post inflammatory or provocative messages online with the intention of causing disruption or getting a reaction from others. When this concept was adopted into Spanish, it followed a common pattern of adapting English verbs by adding the suffix '-ear', similar to how 'chat' became 'chatear' or 'click' became 'cliquear'.

Since 'trolear' is a recent borrowing from English, there aren't any simpler or historically related Spanish words. The verb-forming suffix '-ear' is very common in Spanish though, appearing in many everyday verbs like 'pasear' (to walk), 'chatear' (to chat), and 'parkear' (to park).

The English word 'troll' in its internet usage is directly related to 'trolear'. While 'troll' originally referred to a mythical creature from Scandinavian folklore, it took on its internet meaning in the 1990s, possibly through the metaphorical connection of someone lurking to cause trouble, like the trolls of folklore who would wait under bridges to ambush travelers. The verb 'to troll' in English can also mean 'to fish by trailing a baited line', which might have influenced the internet usage, as trolls attempt to 'catch' people with their provocative messages.