*ladder*

n. [ OE. bladder, bleddre, AS. bl&aemacr_;dre, bl&aemacr_;ddre; 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. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any vesicle or blister, especially if filled with air, or a thin, watery fluid. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Bot.) A distended, membranaceous pericarp. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Anything inflated, empty, or unsound. “To swim with bladders of philosophy.” Rochester. [ 1913 Webster ]

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 (Zool.), 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 Fucus vesiculosus) -- called also bladder tangle. See Wrack. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To put up in bladders; as, bladdered lard. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. similar to a bladder.
Syn. -- bladdery. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a medium-sized blackish-gray seal (Cystophora cristata) with a large inflatable sac on the head; of Arctic-Atlantic waters.
Syn. -- hooded seal. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. a North American wild lobelia (Lobelia inflata) having small blue flowers and inflated capsules formerly used as an antispasmodic.
Syn. -- Indian tobacco. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. any of a number of annual or perennial herbs with inflated seed pods; some are placed in the genus Lesquerella. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. any of several plants of the genus Physaria having racemose yellow flowers and inflated pods. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

4. any of several hairy North American herbs having yellow racemose flowers and inflated pods. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Bot.) A genus (Utricularia) of aquatic or marshy plants, which usually bear numerous vesicles in the divisions of the leaves. These serve as traps for minute animals. See Ascidium. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. similar to and found with black rockweed.
Syn. -- Ascophyllum nodosum. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. common black rockweed used in preparing kelp and as manure.
Syn. -- black rockweed, bladder fucus, tang, Fucus vesiculosus. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Having bladders; also, resembling a bladder. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who makes glad. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A firefighting truck equipped with a ladder extendable to great length, for access to the upper stories of buildings; it also carries other firefighting equipment; called also ladder truck. [ PJC ]

n. A company of firefighters who operate a hook-and-ladder truck; a fire company; called also ladder company. [ PJC ]

n. [ OE. laddre, AS. hl&aemacr_;der, hl&aemacr_;dder; akin to OFries. hladder, OHG. leitara, G. leiter, and from the root of E. lean, v. √40. See Lean, v. i., and cf. Climax. ] 1. A frame usually portable, of wood, metal, or rope, for ascent and descent, consisting of two side pieces to which are fastened cross strips or rounds forming steps. [ 1913 Webster ]

Some the engines play,
And some, more bold, mount ladders to the fire. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That which resembles a ladder in form or use; hence, that by means of which one attains to eminence; as, to climb the corporate ladder. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

Lowliness is young ambition's ladder. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Fish ladder. See under Fish. --
Ladder beetle (Zool.), an American leaf beetle (Chrysomela scalaris). The elytra are silvery white, striped and spotted with green; the under wings are rose-colored. It feeds upon the linden tree. --
Ladder handle, an iron rail at the side of a vertical fixed ladder, to grasp with the hand in climbing. --
Ladder shell (Zool.), a spiral marine shell of the genus Scalaria. See Scalaria. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a chair with a ladder-back{ 2 }.
Syn. -- ladder-back chair. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a chair backrest consisting of 2 uprights with several connecting slats. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. Having horizontal stripes on the back, reminiscent of a ladder; -- used of birds; as, a ladder-backed woodpecker. [ PJC ]

adj. resistant to runs or (in Britain) ladders; -- of hosiery.
Syn. -- runproof, run-resistant. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. Same as hook-and-ladder company, hook-and-ladder truck. [ PJC ]