swollen
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
larger or rounder than usual, often because of a hurt or a medical problem.
abnormally distended or protuberant, typically as a result of injury, infection, or fluid accumulation.
Simple“His ankle was swollen and bruised after he tripped on the stairs.”
In context“The patient presented with a severely swollen knee, suggesting a significant accumulation of synovial fluid following the impact.”
UsageOften used with 'with' to indicate the cause, such as 'swollen with pride' or 'swollen with rain'.
“Family and friends gathered earlier in the week at the bridge to remember the recent high school graduate, who was headed to Purdue University, and warn of the dangers of swollen rivers.”
“This process can cause mild symptoms such as an itchy heat rash or swollen feet.”
From Middle English swollen, i-swolle, y-swolle, yswolle, ȝeswollen, from Old English swollen, ġeswollen, from Proto-Germanic swullanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic swellaną (“to swell”). Cognate with West Frisian swollen (“swollen”), Dutch gezwollen (“swollen”), German geschwollen (“swollen”), Swedish svullen (“swollen”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.