Ever Used This Word? Swell.

All languages are amazing and interesting. Words, fixed expressions and collocations are even more fascinating and impressive. Today, we will take a look at the word “swell” and study the word in Turkish as well. The origins of the word “swell” are not clearly known; however, the word has been used by the English and the Proto-Germanic people. The meaning of the word “swell” is “grow or make bigger”. One of the meanings acquired by the word “swell” was “become egotistical” at the end of the 13th century. Another meaning of the word is very good. The past form of the word, which was once “sweall“, is swelled, and the past participle form is “swollen“.      

The word “swell” means “become filled with unreasonable esteem, superciliousness, or wrath” in modern English. Another meaning is “expand abnormally and behaving egocentrically”: a verb, which may refer to the narcissistic character of present-day leaders and so-called humans. The Turks use the word “şişmek” (literally swell or become big). The idiom “egosu tavan yaptı” (literally translated as “his ego made a ceiling“, meaning “she or he swelled so much that his or her ego went through the roof“) is regarded as one of the most popular idioms in Turkey these days.

The adjective “swelled“, which is used as an informal word in English, means having or feeling self-importance. The idiom “get or have a swelled head” means “ne oldum delisi olmak” in Turkish (literally, to be in the “OMG what have I become” mood). Without an -ed addition, the word “swell” can also be used as an adjective, but the meaning changes to “very good” in this case. For example, “Jane did a swell job” (Turkish: Jane harika bir iş çıkardı.). Here are more examples of the word “swell” and its derivatives:   

1. Humble humans do obviously not have swelled heads. 

2. Mary has had a swelled head since she ran a podcast site on the Internet.

3. That’s a swell idea from a swelled head. I cannot believe that!  

4. The man grabbed the cup with his swollen hands.

5. Tom promised us that he’d not have gotten a swelled head if he had won the design contest.

6. The melody from Procol Harum is swelling to a crescendo. Can you hear that?

7. Please do not compliment her any more. She will get a swollen head.

8. We are all weary of the swollen egos of so-called leaders and fake politicians.

To put it briefly, have not a swollen head no matter where you live or who you are. Have a nice week stuffed with joie de vivre.

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