“swells” is a form of
swell
/swɛl/ verb, noun, adjective, adverb
Forms swells swelling swelled swole swoll swollen sweller swellest
- verb (intransitive) To become larger, fuller, or rounder, or expand in size or shape, usually as a result of pressure from within. “My ankles had swelled in the heat.”
- verb (transitive) To cause to become bigger. “Rains and dissolving snow swell the rivers in spring.”
- verb (intransitive) To grow gradually in force or loudness. “The organ music swelled.”
- verb (transitive) To cause to grow gradually in force or loudness.
- verb (transitive) To raise to arrogance; to puff up; to inflate. “to be swelled with pride or haughtiness”
- verb (intransitive) To be raised to arrogance.
- verb To be elated; to rise arrogantly.
- verb To be turgid, bombastic, or extravagant. “swelling words a swelling style”
- noun The act of swelling; increase in size.
- noun A bulge or protuberance.
- noun Increase of power in style, or of rhetorical force.
- noun A long series of ocean waves, generally produced by wind, and lasting after the wind has ceased. “the heave of a heavy ocean swell”
- noun (music) A gradual crescendo followed by diminuendo.
- noun (music) A device for controlling the volume of a pipe organ.
- noun (music) A division in a pipe organ, usually the largest enclosed division.
- noun A hillock or similar raised area of terrain.
- adjective (dated) Fashionable, like a swell or dandy.
- adjective (Canada, US, dated slang) Excellent.
- adverb (Canada, US, informal) Very well.
Synonyms
balloon distend dandy dude toff barbermonger beau blade blood buck carpet knight cockscomb dike dood dudelet exquisite fashionable fast man fine gentleman fop crestless wave gallant sheik fashion plate clotheshorse puff up swell up intumesce tumefy tumesce
Etymology
From Middle English swellen, from Old English swellan (“to swell”), from Proto-West Germanic *swellan, from Proto-Germanic *swellaną (“to swell”), of unknown origin.
Cognate with Saterland Frisian swälle (“to swell”), West Frisian swolle (“to swell”), Dutch zwellen (“to swell”), Low German swellen (“to swell”), German schwellen (“to swell”), Swedish svälla (“to swell”), Icelandic svella. The adjective may derive from the noun.
From Middle English swelle, from the verb swellen (modern swell).
From the noun "swell" (a person dressed in an elegant manner).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To grow larger; to dilate or extend the exterior surface or dimensions, by matter added within, or by expansion of the inclosed substance; as, the legs swell in dropsy; a bruised part swells; a bladder swells by inflation.
- verb To increase in size or extent by any addition; to increase in volume or force; as, a river swells, and overflows its banks; sounds swell or diminish.
- verb To increase the size, bulk, or dimensions of; to cause to rise, dilate, or increase; as, rains and dissolving snow swell the rivers in spring; immigration swells the population.
- verb To aggravate; to heighten.
Etymology [AS. swellan; akin to D. zwellen, OS. & OHG. swellan, G. schwellen, Icel. svella, Sw. svälla.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “swell”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details