An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/Trott

by Friedrich Kluge

Trott, masculine, ‘trot,’ Modern High German only, from the equivalent Italian trotto (French trot). This Romance word is apparently based on Old High German trottôn, ‘to tread’ (late Middle High German trotten, ‘to run’), an intensive form of treten. English to trot has been adopted from the borrowed French term trotter. Compare the following word.