Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Bladder?

\Blad"der\, n. [OE. bladder, bleddre, AS. bl?dre, bl?ddre; akin to Icel. bla?ra, SW. bl["a]ddra, Dan. bl[ae]re, D. blaar, OHG. bl[=a]tara the bladder in the body of animals, G. blatter blister, bustule; all fr. the same root as AS. bl[=a]wan, E. blow, to puff. See {Blow} to puff.] 1. (Anat.) A bag or sac in animals, which serves as the receptacle of some fluid; as, the urinary bladder; the gall bladder; -- applied especially to the urinary bladder, either within the animal, or when taken out and inflated with air. 2. Any vesicle or blister, especially if filled with air, or a thin, watery fluid. 3. (Bot.) A distended, membranaceous pericarp. 4. Anything inflated, empty, or unsound. ``To swim with bladders of philosophy.'' --Rochester. {Bladder nut}, or {Bladder tree} (Bot.), a genus of plants ({Staphylea}) with bladderlike seed pods. {Bladder pod} (Bot.), a genus of low herbs ({Vesicaria}) with inflated seed pods. {Bladdor senna} (Bot.), a genus of shrubs ({Colutea}), with membranaceous, inflated pods. {Bladder worm} (Zo["o]l.), the larva of any species of tapeworm ({T[ae]nia}), found in the flesh or other parts of animals. See {Measle}, {Cysticercus}. {Bladder wrack} (Bot.), the common black rock weed of the seacoast ({Fucus nodosus} and {F. vesiculosus}) -- called also {bladder tangle}. See {Wrack}.
\Blad"der\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Bladdered}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Bladdering}.] 1. To swell out like a bladder with air; to inflate. [Obs.] --G. Fletcher. 2. To put up in bladders; as, bladdered lard.