swell

Everyday

1. To get bigger, rounder or fuller, often because of injury, water or air (My ankle swelled up). tree →
2. To grow in number, size, loudness or strength (The crowd swelled). tree →
3. A swell: the long, smooth rise and fall of waves in the sea. tree →
4. (old-fashioned American) Excellent, very nice (That's swell!). tree →
5. A feeling growing strong inside you (a swell of pride). tree →

In the lessons

In first aid: an injury like a sprain or a bee sting can make the body swell; rest, ice, compression and raising it help reduce swelling. In science, wood and seeds swell when they take in water; rivers swell after heavy rain and can flood. In beach safety, a big swell means large waves and dangerous currents — listen to lifeguards. Phrases: swell up, swollen ankle, ocean swell, swell with pride.

Examples

• My finger swelled up after the bee sting. tree →
• Put ice on your ankle to stop it swelling. tree →
• The river swelled after days of heavy rain. tree →
• Dried beans swell when you soak them in water. tree →
• There's a big swell today, so the beach is closed. tree →
• Her heart swelled with pride when she won. tree →
• «Gee, that's swell!» said the boy in the old film. tree →
• Affrighted though she was, Wendy swelled with pride. tree →

Note

Past participle: «swollen» (my eye is swollen) is more common as an adjective; «swelled» is also used. Noun: swelling (a bump on the body). If swelling comes with trouble breathing, get emergency help — it may be an allergic reaction.

In Jewish tradition

In Numbers it describes the effect of the bitter water on a woman who had broken her marriage vow. In Deuteronomy it says the Israelites' feet did not swell in the desert.

Interpretation. The bitter water ritual (sotah) was a test of faithfulness. The unswollen feet are read as a miracle showing God's care in the wilderness.

Examples

• Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. (Torah DEU.8.4, JPS 1917) tree →
• and this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, and make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to fall away'; and the woman shall say: 'Amen, Amen.' (Torah NUM.5.22, JPS 1917) tree →
• Yea, forty years didst Thou sustain them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not. (Writings NEH.9.21, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Past participle: «swollen» (my eye is swollen) is more common as an adjective; «swelled» is also used. Noun: swelling (a bump on the body). If swelling comes with trouble breathing, get emergency help — it may be an allergic reaction.