Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SWELL, n.

1. Extension of bulk. – Shak.
2. Increase, as of sound; as, the swell of a note, or the increase and diminution of sound, crescendo and diminuendo, in one continued note.
3. A gradual ascent or elevation of land; as, an extensive plain abounding with little swells.
4. A wave or billow; more generally, a succession of large waves; as, a heavy swell sets into the harbor. Swell is also used to denote the waves or fluctuation of the sea after a storm, and the waves that roll in and break upon the shore.
5. In an organ, a certain number of pipes inclosed in a box, which being uncovered, produce a swell of sound. – Busby.