Swal

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A dialect verb meaning to swell or puff up, as a body part or surface does when filled or inflamed
2. An archaic regional word describing the act of growing larger or rounder by swelling outward
3. A rare dialect term for expanding or bulging out, the way a wound or a sail might fill and grow

Etymology: In Middle English, "swal" was a past tense of "swell," the same verb that gives us "swollen." Strong verbs of that period changed their vowels to mark tense, so "swell," "swal," and "swollen" were three forms of one word, much as "sing," "sang," and "sung" are today. Standard modern English dropped "swal" in favour of "swelled," so it survives mainly in older texts and dialect. Its root is Old English "swellan," which goes back to a Germanic stem meaning to rise up or grow. A related dialect word, "swale," meaning to scorch or burn, shows the same family of forms, but I am not certain how closely the two senses are linked, so I would not press the connection.