swellan

Forms

swellan (strong class 3; third-person singular present swilþ, past singular sweall, past plural swullon)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-West Germanic *swellan, from Proto-Germanic *swellaną (“to swell”).^[1][2] The strong verb is found in Old Norse svella, Old Frisian swella, Old Saxon swellan and Old High German swellan.^[2][3][4] Gothic has only the noun Gothic 𐌿𐍆𐍃𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌻𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (ufswalleins, “vanity, being puffed up”), made to an unrecorded causative verb.^[5][6]

Kroonen calls it an exclusively Germanic verb, and Lehmann finds no etymology for it.^[2][6] Köbler mentions a possible root Proto-Indo-European *swel- (“to swell”) with a question mark, and Wiktionary gives the same root, or *swelH-, as a possibility.^[4][1] Orel suggests a derivation from the verb behind swelan (“to burn”).^[7] Etymonline quotes Boutkan's view that it is most likely a substrate word.^[8]

It is a strong verb of class III, with ⟨sweall⟩ in the past singular, ⟨swullon⟩ in the plural and the participle ⟨swollen⟩.^[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest dated record is in Bald's Leechbook, in a manuscript of the mid-tenth century, in the table of chapters: gif sin scrince & æfter þam sie sar oððe swelle “if a sinew shrinks and afterwards there is pain or it swells”.^[10][11][9]

Semantic evolution

Most of the records are medical: wounds, sinews, feet and legs that swell, and swellings and evil humours in the Leechdoms.^[9] In the Old English Exodus the plague of boils is swellende blæddran “swelling blisters”, and in Gregory's Dialogues a man's feet swell with gout.^[9][12] In Beowulf the dragon's bite begins to burn and swell (swelan ond swellan).^[9][13]

The verb lived on as Middle English swellen, now English swell.^[14][8]

Timeline

• s. x med. – a sinew that swelle “swells” in Bald's Leechbook.^[10][11]
• s. x/xi – Sio wund ongon … swelan ond swellan “the wound began to burn and swell” in the Beowulf manuscript.^[15][9]

Meanings

Verb

1. to swell, of a wound or a limb.^[9][13]
2. (participle) swelling: of blisters and evil humours.^[9]

Word family

• āswellan
• ġeswellan
• tōswellan
• ġeswell

Descendants

• Middle English swellen (→ English swell; Scots swell; Scots swall)^[1]

Related words

• swyle

Usage notes

A separate weak verb swellan “to burn”, the causative of swelan, appears in one gloss.^[12][16]

References

1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c Kroonen, Guus (2013), Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 11, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 499
3. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 334
4. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2014), Altenglisches Wörterbuch, 4th ed., online, koeblergerhard.de/wikiling, p. s.v. swellan
5. ^ Feist, Sigmund (1939), Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache, 3rd ed., Leiden: Brill, p. 306
6. ^ a b Lehmann, Winfred P. (1986), A Gothic Etymological Dictionary, based on the third edition of Vergleichendes Wörterbuch der gotischen Sprache by Sigmund Feist, Leiden: Brill, p. 401
7. ^ Orel, Vladimir (2003), A Handbook of Germanic Etymology, Leiden / Boston: Brill, p. 394
8. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
9. ^ a b c d e f g h Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. 948
10. ^ a b Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 412
11. ^ a b Healey, Antonette diPaolo; Price Wilkin, John; Xiang, Xin, eds. (2009), Dictionary of Old English Web Corpus, Toronto: Dictionary of Old English Project
12. ^ a b Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement, p. Suppl. 717
13. ^ a b Fulk, R. D.; Bjork, Robert E.; Niles, John D., eds. (2008), Klaeber's Beowulf and The Fight at Finnsburg, 4th ed., Toronto: University of Toronto Press (glossary), p. s.v. swellan
14. ^ Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
15. ^ Gneuss, Helmut; Lapidge, Michael (2014), Anglo-Saxon Manuscripts: A Bibliographical Handlist of Manuscripts and Manuscript Fragments Written or Owned in England up to 1100, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, p. 344
16. ^ Holthausen, Ferdinand (1934), Altenglisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Heidelberg: Carl Winter, p. 335