ENGLISH
REFERENCE

swollen

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈswoʊɫən// UK //swˈəʊlən// swollen

v. larger or rounder than normal, usually because of an injury or illness. You use this when a part of your body gets big because of a hit or an infection.

v. distended or puffed up beyond normal size, typically as a result of fluid accumulation, inflammation, or injury.


SIMPLE

My ankle is swollen after I tripped on the stairs.

CONTEXTUAL

The doctor checked his swollen glands to see if his body was fighting an infection.

COMPLEX

The river, already swollen by three days of torrential rain, finally breached its banks and flooded the lower meadows.

Synonyms
Origin

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”).

Usage

Commonly follows linking verbs like 'become', 'look', or 'feel'.

Pitfall

My finger is swollened.My finger is swollen.Learners sometimes add an extra '-ed' ending, but 'swollen' is already the correct adjective form derived from the past participle of 'swell'.

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