[f. as prec. + -ING2.] That swells, in various senses.
1. Increasing in bulk, as by absorption or inflation; becoming distended or filled out; bellying, as a sail; undergoing morbid enlargement, breaking out as a tumor.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Exod. ix. 9. Swellende blæddran.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., II. 6. Wiþ ælcre yfelre swellendre wætan.
1382. Wyclif, Exod. ix. 10. Woundes of the swellynge bleynes.
a. 1591. H. Smith, Wks. (1867), II. 397. Botches and swelling sores.
c. 1591. Roydon, Elegy for Astrophel, i. No swelling clouds accloyed the air.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Past., III. 129. The Show’rs are grateful to the swelling Grain. Ibid., Georg., I. 269. The hissing Serpent, and the swelling Toad. Ibid., Æneid, III. 692. Breath on our swelling Sails a prosp’rous Wind.
a. 1721. Prior, Past. Dial., 5. Young tender Plants and swelling buds appear.
1859. Habits Gd. Society, ii. (new ed.), 121. Swelling glands are prevented.
1877. Raymond, Statist. Mines & Mining, 156. The swelling ground crushes in the timbers.
b. causatively. Producing distension. rare.
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., VII. viii. (Bodl. MS.), lf. 50/2. He schalle spare swelling metes and greete [orig. ab inflatiuis cibis].
2. Having the form of something distended; protuberant, bulging; rising evenly and smoothly above the general surface, as a hill or piece of ground.
1544. N. Country Wills (Surtees, 1908), 194. An olde gowne with a swelling welte faced with blacke budge.
a. 1586. Sidney, Arcadia, III. xvi. (1912), 447. Her roundy sweetly swelling lippes a little trembling.
1667. Milton, P. L., IV. 495. Half her swelling Breast Naked met his.
1697. Dryden, Æneid, V. 15. A swelling Cloud hung hov’ring o’re their Head.
1728. R. Morris, Ess. Anc. Archit., 43. There is less Substance in the streight Column … than there is in that which is swelling.
1794. Coleridge, Fears in Solit., 4. The hills are heathy, save that swelling slope.
1839. Murchison, Silur. Syst., I. xxvi. 331. The hard volcanic grit wraps round the swelling concretionary masses of this trap.
1872. Jenkinson, Engl. Lake Distr. (1879), 287. The great swelling masses of Whiteside and Grasmoor are directly opposite.
3. Rising in waves, or as a wave; rising in level, becoming fuller, as a river or the tide. Chiefly poet.
1549. Compl. Scot., vi. 39. Throcht virkyng of the suelland vallis of the brym seye.
1582. Stanyhurst, Æneis, I. (Arb.), 19. This Queene … Doune swasht theyre nauy, thee swelling surges vp-haling.
1585. Jas. I., Ess. Poesie (Arb.), 72. Ilk saile of dyuers ships vpon the swolling wawes.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit. (1637), 241. Rivers, swelling Brookes, and rils of ever-living fountaines.
1633. P. Fletcher, Pisc. Ecl., VII. xix. The earth her robe, the sen her swelling tide.
1745. P. Thomas, Jrnl. Anson’s Voy., 53. We had a great swelling Sea.
1746. Collins, Ode to Evening, ix. Be mine the hut That from the mountain’s side Views wilds and swelling floods.
b. transf. Becoming full to overflowing, as the eyes with tears; said also of the tears.
1593. Shaks., Lucr., 1228. The maid with swelling drops gan wet Her circled eien. Ibid. (1596), 1 Hen. IV., III. i. 202. That pretty Welsh Which thou powr’st down from these swelling Heauens.
1760–72. H. Brooke, Fool of Qual. (1809), III. 103. Taking out her handkerchief, she wiped away a swelling tear. Ibid., 141. With … trembling lips, and swelling eyes.
4. Becoming greater in amount, increasing, growing; loosely, great in amount, full, abundant rare.
1628. Feltham, Resolves, II. [I.] i. 1. Hee carelesly waues himselfe in the swelling plenty.
1829. Scott, Anne of G., xxvii. To supply the public wants from their own swelling hoards!
1854. Poultry Chron., I. 61/2. Witness our weekly swelling list of promised exhibitions.
b. Of a receptacle: see SWELL v. 4 b. poet.
1908. W. J. Courthope, in Blackw. Mag., Oct., 538.
| There easier toil | |
| Brings to the swelling bin a more abundant spoil. |
5. Of sound: Gradually increasing in force or volume; becoming louder and fuller.
1753. Hogarth, Anal. Beauty, xii. 97. As the gradating shade pleases the eye, so the increasing, or swelling note, delights the ear.
1797. Mrs. Radcliffe, Italian, xxii. Hearing at intervals swelling though feeble groans.
1810. Scott, Lady of Lake, I. x. The dingle’s hollow throat Prolong’d the swelling bugle-note.
b. Swelling organ, an earlier name for the swell organ (see SWELL sb. 6). Obs.
1712. in Grove, Dict. Mus. (1889), IV. 8. [The first attempt at a] swelling organ [was made by Jordan in 1712].
1837. Stranger’s Guide York (ed. 6), 77. There are … 9 [stops] to the choir organ, 12 to the swelling organ.
6. fig. Of a feeling or emotion (usually pleasureable): Arising and growing in the mind with expansive force; causing the heart to ‘swell’ with emotion.
1593. Shaks., 3 Hen. VI., IV. viii. 42. My mildnesse hath allay’d their swelling griefes.
1697. Collier, Ess. Mor. Subj., II. (1703), 64. A swelling discontent is apt to suffocate and strangle, without passage.
1700. Prior, Carmen Seculare, iii. They scarce Their swelling Thirst of Fame could hide.
1749. Fielding, Tom Jones, XII. x. The warm, solid content, the swelling satisfaction, the thrilling transports.
1760–72. H. Brooke, Fool of Qual. (1809), IV. 82. He … hid the tears of his swelling delight.
7. Inflated, or showing inflation, with pride or the like; proud, haughty; arrogant, puffed up. a. Of the heart, mind, etc.; † rarely of the person.
a. 1586. Sidney, Ps. XVII. viii. Cruell wordes their swelling tongues do chatt.
1604. Shaks., Oth., II. iii. 57. Three else of Cyprus, Noble swelling Spirites … Haue I to night fluster’d with flowing cups.
1630. trans. Camden’s Hist. Eliz., I. 91. She, to restraine the young Kings swelling minde,… had begun to set her husbands name after her owne in the publicke Acts.
1702. Rowe, Tamerl., I. ii. 684. While th’ avenging hand of Heav’n is on thee And presses to the Dust thy swelling Soul.
1735. Johnson, Lobo’s Abyssinia, Descr., x. 106. The ridiculous Speculations of those swelling Philosophers, whose Arrogance would prescribe Laws to Nature.
1846. Mrs. A. Marsh, Father Darcy, II. xi. 201. ‘Insulting!’ said the proudly swelling heart.
b. Of the feeling or mental state; † also of speech (obs.).
1579. W. Wilkinson, Confut. Fam. Love, 6 b. His swellyng wordes of vanitie.
1590. Nashe, Pasquil’s Apol., I. Wks. 1904, I. 114. Thys swelling and sawcie humour … against her Maiesties right honourable priuie Counsell.
1610. Holland, Camden’s Brit. (1637), 108. Possessed they were with swelling pride.
1680. Roscommon, Horace’s Art of Poetry, Poet. Wks. (1749), 155. Peleus and Telephus, exil’d and poor, Forget their swelling and gigantic words.
1817. Chalmers, Astron. Disc., iv. (1852), 92. What an impressive rebuke does it bring on the swelling vanity of science.
1843. Borrow, Bible in Spain, xxxvi. Insignificant are the results of man’s labours compared with the swelling ideas of his presumption.
8. Of style or language: Grand, magnificent, stately, majestic; usually in bad sense, Inflated, bombastic, turgid, pretentiously pompous.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., I. i. 124. A more swelling port Then my faint meanes would grant continuance.
1597. Morley, Introd. Mus., 183. To decke a lowlie matter with loftie and swelling speech.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., I. Prol. 4. O for … A Kingdome for a Stage, Princes to Act, And Monarchs to behold the swelling Scene.
1617. Purchas, Pilgrimage, V. xi. § 2 (ed. 3), 634. The swelling stile of this King of Bisnagar.
a. 1661. Fuller, Worthies (1662), II. 127. His stile, conceived by some to be swelling, is allowed for lofty and full by others.
1680. Morden, Geog. Rect., Spain (1685), 171. The Vulgar Spanish or Castilian … is said to be a brave lofty swelling Speech.
1712. Addison, Spect., No. 279, ¶ 5. Those swelling Sentiments which are so frequent in Statius.
1812. H. & J. Smith, Rej. Addr., x. (1873), 92. A swelling opening is too often succeeded by an insignificant Conclusion.
1846. Keightley, Notes Virg., Bucol., v. 36. Perhaps this [sc. mandavimus] is too swelling a term for bucolic simplicity.
a. 1859. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., xxiii. (1861), V. 6. Those swelling sentiments of liberty which abound in the Latin poets and orators.
1895. M. R. James, Abbey St. Edmund at Bury, 125. I will render Leland’s swelling Latin into literal English.
