Tu″me‐fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p.Tumefied (?); p. pr. & vb. n.Tumefying.] [F. tuméfier, fr. L. tumere to swell + -ficare (in comp.) to make; cf. L. tumefacere to tumefy. See Tumid, and -fy.] To swell; to cause to swell, or puff up.
To swell, tumefy, stiffen, not the diction only, but the tenor of the thought. De Quincey.