swell
pronunciation
How to pronounce swell in British English:
UK [swel]
How to pronounce swell in American English:
US [swel]
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- Noun:
- the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea
- a rounded elevation (especially one on an ocean floor)
- a crescendo followed by a decrescendo
- a man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance
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- Verb:
- increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
- become filled with pride, arrogance, or anger
- expand abnormally
- as of feelings and thoughts, or other ephemeral things
- come up
- cause to become swollen
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- Adjective:
- very good
Word Origin
- swell
- swell: [OE] Swell comes from prehistoric Germanic *swellan, a verb of unknown origin which also produced German schwellen, Dutch zwellen, and Swedish svälla. Its use as an adjective, meaning ‘fine’, emerged at the beginning of the 19th century. The notion underlying it is ‘suitable to a swell, a fashionable or stylish person’; and this application of the noun swell probably arose out of an earlier use for ‘swollen’ or pompous behaviour.
- swell (v.)
- Old English swellan "grow or make bigger" (past tense sweall, past participle swollen), from Proto-Germanic *swelnan (cognates: Old Saxon swellan, Old Norse svella, Old Frisian swella, Middle Dutch swellen, Dutch zwellen, Old High German swellan, German schwellen), of unknown origin. Of emotions from late 14c., of music from 1749. Related: swelled; swollen; swelling.
- swell (n.)
- c. 1200, "a morbid swelling," from swell (v.). In reference to a rise of the sea, it is attested from c. 1600; of music, by 1803. The meaning "wealthy, elegant person" is first recorded 1786, connected to the now-obsolete sense "pompousness, arrogance" (1724), both from the notion of "puffed-up" demeanor or behavior.
- swell (adj.)
- "fashionably dressed or equipped," 1810, from swell (n.) in the "stylish person" sense. As "good, excellent," by 1897; as a stand-alone expression of satisfaction it is recorded from 1930 in American English.
Antonym
Example
- 1. When the oil price rises , their assets swell further .
- 2. Meanwhile , the number of consumers hungry for such gadgets continues to swell .
- 3. The potential difficulties of controlling future inflation will rise as the balance-sheets of central banks swell .
- 4. Since mexico lacks unemployment insurance , the ranks of its poor are thus expected to swell .
- 5. When people try to walk in it , dark clouds swell up around their chests and arms .