Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “swell” come from?

Swell comes from Middle English swellen, from Proto-Germanic swellaną, from Proto-Indo-European swel-.

swell (English): To become bigger, especially due to being...

Definitions

  1. To become bigger, especially due to being...

Ancestry of “swell”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishswellenTo swell; to grow or become bigger or stronger;...
2Old Englishswellanto swell
3Proto-West Germanic*swellan—
4Proto-Germanicswellanąto swell
5Proto-Indo-Europeanswel-to smolder; burn; scorch; beam, board, frame,...

Words derived from “swell”

  • swelling
  • swollen
  • groundswell
  • swellest
  • swellable
  • swelleth
  • deswelling
  • upswell
  • unswollen
  • sweller
  • swelldom
  • overswollen
  • swollenness
  • underswell
  • nonswelling
  • swellish
  • swellability
  • swellfish
  • swellhead
  • swellingly
  • heartswelling
  • overswell
  • swellness
  • swellshark
Every word from Proto-Indo-European swel- →