Tumefies

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To cause swelling or enlargement of a part of the body due to injury, infection, or inflammation
2. To induce a state of puffiness or increase in size, often as a result of fluid accumulation or irritation
3. To promote abnormal distension or enlargement, typically involving tissues or organs reacting to trauma or disease processes

Etymology: "Tumefies" is the third-person singular form of "tumefy," so the verb's story is the story of "tumefy." Its roots lie in Latin "tumere," meaning "to swell," which in turn traces back to a very old Indo-European root meaning "to be swelling." The Latin verb "tumefacere" combined that sense with "facere," "to make," so the word literally means "to make swell." English borrowed the verb through French "tuméfier," which kept the same image of making something swell. The result is a word built almost entirely from the idea of physical puffing up, which is why it sounds so medical today: it describes a swelling that is caused by something, such as an injury or infection, rather than swelling that simply happens.

Synonyms: swells, inflates, enlarges, bulges, expands

Antonyms: shrinks, contracts, deflates, reduces, diminishes