bladder

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 ]