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.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • Swell — Swell, n. 1. The act of swelling. [1913 Webster] 2. Gradual increase. Specifically: (a) Increase or augmentation in bulk; protuberance. (b) Increase in height; elevation; rise. [1913 Webster] Little River affords navigation during a swell to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Swell — could refer to: *Swell (ocean), a formation of long wavelength ocean surface waves *Swell (band), an indie rock band from San Francisco *Swell, Gloucestershire, England *Swell (bookbinding), a term in bookbinding *Swellshark, a catshark * Swell… …   Wikipedia

  • Swell — Swell, v. i. [imp. {Swelled}; p. p. {Swelled} or {Swollen}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Swelling}.] [AS. swellan; akin to D. zwellen, OS. & OHG. swellan, G. schwellen, Icel. svella, Sw. sv[ a]lla.] 1. To grow larger; to dilate or extend the exterior surface …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Swell — Swell, a. Having the characteristics of a person of rank and importance; showy; dandified; distinguished; as, a swell person; a swell neighborhood. [Slang] [1913 Webster] {Swell mob}. See under {Mob}. [Slang] [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Swell — Swell, v. t. 1. 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. [1913 Webster] [The Church] swells her high, heart… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Swell — steht für: Swell (Band), eine US amerikanische Indie Band Swell ist der Nachname folgender Personen: Steve Swell (* 1954), US amerikanischer Jazzposaunist Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • swell — [adj] wonderful awesome, cool*, dandy*, deluxe, desirable, excellent, exclusive, fashionable, fine, fly*, grand, groovy*, keen, marvelous, neat, nifty, plush, posh, ritzy*, smart, stylish, super, terrific; concepts 548,574 Ant. bad, horrible,… …   New thesaurus

  • Swell — est un groupe américain de rock indépendant fondé en 1989 à San Francisco par David Freel (guitares) et Sean Kirkpatrick (batterie). Sommaire 1 Discographie 1.1 Albums 1.2 Compilations …   Wikipédia en Français

  • swell — swel vi, swelled; swelled or swol·len swō lən; swell·ing to become distended or puffed up <her ankle swelled> …   Medical dictionary

  • Swell — [swɛl] der; s, s <zu engl. to swell »sich brüsten, prahlen«, eigtl. »anschwellen«> (veraltet) aufgeblasener Mensch, Stutzer …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • swell — [swel] vi. swelled, swelled or swollen, swelling [ME swellen < OE swellan; akin to Ger schwellen, ON svella] 1. to increase in volume or become larger as a result of pressure from within; expand; dilate 2. to become larger at a particular… …   English World dictionary

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