Bladder \Blad"der\ (bl[a^]d"d[~e]r), n. [OE. bladder, bleddre,
AS. bl[=ae]dre, bl[=ae]ddre; akin to Icel. bla[eth]ra, SW.
bl[aum]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.]
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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.
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2. Any vesicle or blister, especially if filled with air, or
a thin, watery fluid.
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3. (Bot.) A distended, membranaceous pericarp.
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4. Anything inflated, empty, or unsound. "To swim with
bladders of philosophy." --Rochester.
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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
(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 Fucus vesiculosus) --
called also bladder tangle. See Wrack.
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