What is "swell"

Swell \Swell\, v. i. [imp. Swelled; p. p. Swelled or Swollen; p. pr. & vb. n. Swelling.] [AS. swellan; akin to D. zwellen, OS. & OHG. swellan, G. schwellen, Icel. svella, Sw. sv["a]lla.]

1. To grow larger; to dilate or extend the exterior surface or dimensions, by matter added within, or by expansion of the inclosed substance; as, the legs swell in dropsy; a bruised part swells; a bladder swells by inflation.

2. To increase in size or extent by any addition; to increase in volume or force; as, a river swells, and overflows its banks; sounds swell or diminish.

3. To rise or be driven into waves or billows; to heave; as, in tempest, the ocean swells into waves.

4. To be puffed up or bloated; as, to swell with pride.

   You swell at the tartan, as the bull is said to do at scarlet.
   --Sir W. Scott.

5. To be inflated; to belly; as, the sails swell.

6. To be turgid, bombastic, or extravagant; as, swelling words; a swelling style.

7. To protuberate; to bulge out; as, a cask swells in the middle.

8. To be elated; to rise arrogantly.

   Your equal mind yet swells not into state.
   --Dryden.

9. To grow upon the view; to become larger; to expand. ``Monarchs to behold the swelling scene!''
   --Shak.

10. To become larger in amount; as, many little debts added, swell to a great amount.

11. To act in a pompous, ostentatious, or arrogant manner; to strut; to look big.

    Here he comes, swelling like a turkey cock.
    --Shak.

Swell \Swell\, v. t.

1. To increase the size, bulk, or dimensions of; to cause to rise, dilate, or increase; as, rains and dissolving snow swell the rivers in spring; immigration swells the population.

   [The Church] swells her high, heart-cheering tone.
   --Keble.

2. To aggravate; to heighten.

   It is low ebb with his accuser when such peccadilloes are put to swell the charge.
   --Atterbury.

3. To raise to arrogance; to puff up; to inflate; as, to be swelled with pride or haughtiness.

4. (Mus.) To augment gradually in force or loudness, as the sound of a note.

Swell \Swell\, n.

1. The act of swelling.

2. Gradual increase. Specifically:

   1. Increase or augmentation in bulk; protuberance.

   2. Increase in height; elevation; rise.

      Little River affords navigation during a swell to within three miles of the Miami.
      --Jefferson.

   3. Increase of force, intensity, or volume of sound.

      Music arose with its voluptuous swell.
      --Byron.

   4. Increase of power in style, or of rhetorical force.

      The swell and subsidence of his periods.
      --Landor.

3. A gradual ascent, or rounded elevation, of land; as, an extensive plain abounding with little swells.

4. A wave, or billow; especially, a succession of large waves; the roll of the sea after a storm; as, a heavy swell sets into the harbor.

   The swell Of the long waves that roll in yonder bay.
   --Tennyson.

   The gigantic swells and billows of the snow.
   --Hawthorne.

5. (Mus.) A gradual increase and decrease of the volume of sound; the crescendo and diminuendo combined; -- generally indicated by the sign.

6. A showy, dashing person; a dandy. [Slang]

   Ground swell. See under Ground.

   Organ swell (Mus.), a certain number of pipes inclosed in a box, the uncovering of which by means of a pedal produces increased sound.

   Swell shark (Zo["o]l.), a small shark ( Scyllium ventricosum) of the west coast of North America, which takes in air when caught, and swells up like a swellfish.

Swell \Swell\, a. Having the characteristics of a person of rank and importance; showy; dandified; distinguished; as, a swell person; a swell neighborhood. [Slang]

Swell mob. See under Mob. [Slang]

Old English swellan "grow or make bigger" (past tense sweall, past participle swollen), from Proto-Germanic *swelnan (cognates: Old Saxon swellan, Old Norse svella, Old Frisian swella, Middle Dutch swellen, Dutch zwellen, Old High German swellan, German schwellen), of unknown origin. Of emotions from late 14c., of music from 1749. Related: swelled; swollen; swelling.

c.1200, "a morbid swelling," from swell (v.). In reference to a rise of the sea, it is attested from c.1600; of music, by 1803. The meaning "wealthy, elegant person" is first recorded 1786, connected to the now-obsolete sense "pompousness, arrogance" (1724), both from the notion of "puffed-up" demeanor or behavior.

"fashionably dressed or equipped," 1810, from swell (n.) in the "stylish person" sense. As "good, excellent," by 1897; as a stand-alone expression of satisfaction it is recorded from 1930 in American English.

1. (context US informal now somewhat dated or ironic English) excellent. n. 1 The act of swelling. 2 Increase of power in style, or of rhetorical force. 3 A long series of ocean waves, generally produced by wind, and lasting after the wind has ceased. 4 (context music English) A gradual crescendo followed by diminuendo. v

2. 1 (context intransitive English) To become bigger, especially due to being engorged. 2 (context transitive English) To cause to become bigger.

1. adj. very good; "he did a bully job"; "a neat sports car"; "had a great time at the party"; "you look simply smashing" [syn: bang-up, bully, corking, cracking, dandy, great, groovy, keen, neat, nifty, not bad(p), peachy, slap-up, smashing]

2. [also: swollen]

1. n. the undulating movement of the surface of the open sea [syn: crestless wave]

2. a rounded elevation (especially one on an ocean floor)

3. a crescendo followed by a decrescendo

4. a man who is much concerned with his dress and appearance [syn: dandy, dude, fop, gallant, sheik, beau, fashion plate, clotheshorse]

5. [also: swollen]

1. v. increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity; "The music swelled to a crescendo"

2. become filled with pride, arrogance, or anger; "The mother was swelling with importance when she spoke of her son" [syn: puff up]

3. expand abnormally; "The bellies of the starving children are swelling" [syn: swell up, intumesce, tumefy, tumesce]

4. as of feelings and thoughts, or other ephemeral things; "Strong emotions welled up"; "Smoke swelled from it" [syn: well up]

5. come up; "Tears well in her eyes" [syn: well]

6. cause to become swollen; "The water swells the wood"

7. [also: swollen]

A swell, in the context of an ocean, sea or lake, is a series of mechanical waves that propagate along the interface between water and air and so they are often referred to as surface gravity waves. These series of surface gravity waves are not generated by the immediate local wind, instead by distant weather systems, where wind blows for a duration of time over a fetch of water. This is the primary definition of a swell as opposed to a locally generated wind wave, which is still under the influence of the mechanisms that created it e.g. wind blowing over a puddle. More generally, a swell consists of wind-generated waves that are not—or are hardly—affected by the local wind at that time. Swell waves often have a long wavelength but this varies due to the size, strength and duration of the weather system responsible for the swell and the size of the water body e.g. wavelengths are rarely more than 150 m in the Mediterranean . Swell wavelength, also, varies from event to event. Occasionally, swells which are longer than 700 m occur as a result of the most severe storms. Swells have a narrower range of frequencies and directions than locally generated wind waves, because swell waves have dispersed from their generation area, have dissipated and therefore lost an amount of randomness, taking on a more defined shape and direction.

Swell may refer to:

• Swell, another name for a geographic hillock
• Swell (ocean), a formation of long wavelength ocean surface waves
• Swell Radio, a radio streaming application.
• Swell (band), an indie rock band from San Francisco
• Swell, Gloucestershire, England
• Swell (bookbinding), a term in bookbinding
• S'well, reusable water bottle company
• Expression pedal, a control found on many organs and synthesizers, also called a swell box or swell pedal
• Swell, another word for a fop, dandy, popinjay, or maccaroni (fashion)
• Swell, a slang term for "good", " cool", or "nifty"
• Swell (gum), a brand of chewing gum produced by Philadelphia Gum

Swell is an indie rock band formed in San Francisco in 1989 when David Freel (vocals/guitar) and Sean Kirkpatrick (drums) decided to record an album.

In bookbinding, swell refers to the increased thickness of a textblock along its spine edge after sewing. Swell is a function of the number of sections in the book, the kind of paper used, the style of sewing, and the thickness of the sewing thread. Human factors also influence swell, especially the force with which the bookbinder "bones down," or flattens, each section after sewing.

Prior to the 15th century, swell in textblocks was accommodated, if it all, by shaping the wooden boards that formed a book's covers. The inner surface of each board would be lightly tapered along the spine edge, so that the removed wood created a space for the thicker paper along the sewn folds. By the 15th century, though, the process of rounding and backing became common, and books were given their characteristic rounded spines and shoulders. This mushroom-like shape compensates for the swell of the book by using the extra thickness to create an extra surface against which the boards of the book can rest.

Flat backs, or books without a curved spines, should ideally have no swell. Books with rounded backs, or curved spines, however, require swell. Too little swell results in insufficient backing, and the book will lack proper shoulders. Too much swell, however, causes the spine to become over-round, and can create a propensity among the middle sections of the book to collapse inwards, falling toward the fore edge.

Category:Bookbinding

A swell in geology is a domed area of considerable areal extent.

According to Leser, it is also called a sill (geology), and is a gently arched landform of various orders of size in topographic, sub- glacial or sub- hydric geology.It may be as small as a rock formation in a river or may assume continental scale.

Swell (New York Art Show) is a survey of art inspired by surf and beach culture, curated by Tim Nye and Jacqueline Miro. The exhibition opened to the public on July 1 at the three locations in Chelsea, NY and included work by many members of the group of Venice Beach artists known as Light and Space and Finish Fetish.

The show focuses on beach culture and its influence on the Beat Generation, Assemblage, Light and Space, Finish Fetish, and early Pop Art.

One of the themes of the show is the relationship between Shapers and the Finish Fetish movement of the 60′s. The show focuses on two cities, L.A. and New York, and attempts to place the Ocean and its proximity to both cities as an antidote to a cacophony of quantities, speed and competing images. It also addresses how later generations of artists have looked back at assemblage, ephemera and graffiti as a way to either incorporate or reject the presence of branding, advertisement, and information technology.