swelling

[swel-ing]

noun

1. the act of a person or thing that swells.

2. the condition of being or becoming swollen. swollen.

3. a swollen swollen part; a protuberance or prominence.

4. Pathology.,  an abnormal enlargement or protuberance, as that resulting from edema.

swelling

/ ˈswɛlɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of expansion or inflation

2. the state of being or becoming swollen

3. a swollen or inflated part or area

4. an abnormal enlargement of a bodily structure or part, esp as the result of injury

Other Word Forms

• unswelling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of swelling¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English; swell + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Detailed scans by the optician showed damage to her optic nerve because of swelling in her brain.

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Meningitis is the swelling of the meninges – the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord – and it is usually caused by a bacterial infection.

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Thiero said Monday that he still has some “swelling” in his left knee that kept him out playing in the summer league in Las Vegas and has slowed his time on the court since then.

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Despite still being on antibiotics to help cope with swelling, another individual award was then collected after a 13-point haul in a comfortable quarter-final victory over Australia.

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She was expecting thousands would turn up at most – but the crowds kept swelling.

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Related Words

• abscess 
• blister 
• bruise 
• bump 
• contusion 
• inflammation 
• injury 
• nodule 
• sore 
• tumor 
• welt