swell
/swɛl/ noun C2- The act of swelling; increase in size.
- A bulge or protuberance.
- Increase of power in style, or of rhetorical force.
- A long series of ocean waves, generally produced by wind, and lasting after the wind has ceased. · the heave of a heavy ocean swell
- A gradual crescendo followed by diminuendo.
- A device for controlling the volume of a pipe organ.
- A division in a pipe organ, usually the largest enclosed division.
- A hillock or similar raised area of terrain.
Plural swells
Phrasal verbs and expressions
From the library
Darcy, “There is a very fine old saying, which everybody here is of course familiar with--‘Keep your breath to cool your porridge,’--and I shall keep mine to swell my song.”
The patron turned towards his vessel, which was rolling on the swell in the little harbor, and, with sails partly set, would be ready for sea when her toilet should be completed.
As the door opened, the sound of a guzla reached the ears of the young men, but was almost immediately lost, for the rapid closing of the door merely allowed one rich swell of harmony to enter.
The ferry lurched as it navigated a particularly turbulent swell, causing the tea in Arthur's cup to slosh perilously near the edge.
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