Bladder

Blad′der (blăd′dẽr), n. [OE. bladder, bleddre, AS. blǣdre, blǣddre; akin to Icel. blaðra, SW. bläddra, Dan. blære, D. blaar, OHG. blātara the bladder in the body of animals, G. blatter blister, bustule; all fr. the same root as AS. blāwan, 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 (Zoöl.), the larva of any species of tapeworm (Tænia), 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.