Intumesce

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Intumesce \In`tu*mesce"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Intumesced}; p.
     pr. & vb. n. {Intumescing}.] [L. intumescere; pref. in- in +
     tumescere to swell up, incho. fr. tumere to swell. See
     {Tumid}.]
     To enlarge or expand with heat; to swell; specifically, to
     swell up or bubble up under the action of heat, as before the


     blowpipe.
     [1913 Webster]
  
           In a higher heat, it intumesces, and melts into a
           yellowish black mass.                    --Kirwan.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  intumesce
       v 1: move upwards in bubbles, as from the effect of heating; also
            used metaphorically; "Gases bubbled up from the earth";
            "Marx's ideas have bubbled up in many places in Latin
            America" [syn: {bubble up}]
       2: expand abnormally; "The bellies of the starving children are
          swelling" [syn: {swell}, {swell up}, {tumefy}, {tumesce}]