billowed

Billowed is the past tense and past participle of the verb billow, used to describe something swelling outward or rising in a large, rolling mass as a result of wind, air, or heat. It can refer to fabrics and sails filling with wind, smoke or clouds rising and spreading, or waves and crowds of material moving in a wave-like fashion. The term is commonly used in nautical, architectural, and meteorological contexts, as well as in descriptive writing to convey motion and volume.

As a verb, billowed conveys a sense of continuous or forcible movement, often with a visible or audible impact, such as fabric catching a gust or smoke pouring from a chimney. As an adjective, forms like billowed or billowing describe things that are inflated or undulating, such as billowed sails or billowing curtains. The word is frequently paired with wind, smoke, cloth, and other substances that can expand or surge outward.

Etymology and related terms: billowed derives from the noun billow, which denotes a large swelling mass, such as a wave or cloud. The verb sense expanding from this noun has been in English since the Middle Ages. Related terms include billow (the noun itself), billowing (present participle), and billow-like descriptors used to convey motion and volume.

See also: billow, billowing, billows.