Svålla

Svälla is a Swedish verb meaning to swell, to grow larger, or to become swollen. It describes physical swelling of tissues or organs due to injury, inflammation, or fluid buildup, as well as the expansion of substances like dough as it rises. The term can also be used more metaphorically to indicate an increase in size or amount, for example a crowd swelling, or tears welling up in the eyes.

Usage and forms

In everyday language, svälla is used for bodily swelling (for example after an operation or injury), as well as for dough or other materials that expand. The basic present tense is sväller, the simple past is svällde, and the supine form is svällt. The perfect tense commonly uses har svällt. Common phrases include svälla upp (to swell up) and svälla igen (to swell again).

Examples

Benet svällde upp efter operationen. (The leg swelled up after the operation.)

Degen sväller när den jäser. (The dough swells as it rises.)

Ögonen svällde upp av tårar. (The eyes swelled up with tears.)

Etymology and related terms

Svälla is a native Swedish verb with cognates in other North Germanic languages, such as Danish svulme and Norwegian svulme. Related nouns include svällning or svullnad, both referring to swelling in a medical or physical sense.

See also

Swelling, svullnad, and related medical or physical terms describing increase in volume or size.