bladder

English

Alternative forms

blather, blether (Scotland)

Etymology

From Middle English bladdre, bleddre, bladder, bledder, from Old English blæddre, a variant of blǣdre, blēdre (“blister, bladder”), from Proto-Germanic *blēdrǭ, *bladrǭ (“blister, bladder”); akin to Old High German platara (German Blatter) and Old Norse blaðra (Danish blære), (Norwegian blære).

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈblædə/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈblædɚ/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -ædə(ɹ)

Noun

bladder (plural bladders)

(zoology) A flexible sac that can expand and contract and that holds liquids or gases.
(anatomy) Specifically, the urinary bladder.
(botany) A hollow, inflatable organ of a plant.
The inflatable bag inside various balls used in sports, such as footballs and rugby balls.
A sealed plastic bag that contains wine and is usually packaged in a cask.
(figuratively) Anything inflated, empty, or unsound.
- 1711, Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, "Sensus Communis", in Characteristicks of Men, Manners, Opinions, Times
  to swim with bladders of philosophy

Synonyms

vesica

Derived terms

air bladder
bald as a bladder of lard
bladder campion
bladder cancer
bladder cherry
bladder cicada
bladdered
bladder fern
bladder infection
bladderpod
bladder senna
bladder wrack
bladderwrack
cackle-bladder
cackle bladder
gall bladder
gas bladder
overactive bladder
painful bladder syndrome
shy bladder
swim-bladder
swim bladder
urinary bladder

Translations

flexible sac in zoology

Arabic: حُوَيْصِلَة‎ f (ḥuwayṣila)
Egyptian Arabic: مثانة‎ f (masāna)
Asturian: vexiga (ast) f
Belarusian: бу́рбалка f (búrbalka), пузы́р m (puzýr)
Bulgarian: мехур (bg) m (mehur), торбичка (bg) f (torbička)
Catalan: bufeta (ca) f, veixiga (ca) f
Czech: měchýř (cs) m
Danish: blære (da) c
Dhivehi: މަސާނާ‎ (masānā)
Dutch: blaas (nl) f
Esperanto: veziko (eo)
Estonian: põis
Finnish: rakko (fi)
French: vésicule (fr) f
Friulian: vissie f
Galician: vexiga (gl) f
German: Blase (de) f
Greek:
Ancient: κύστις f (kústis)
Hebrew: שַׁלְפּוּחִית‎ (he) f (shalpuẖít)
Hungarian: hólyag (hu)
Irish: lamhnán m
Italian: vescica (it) f
Japanese: 嚢状組織, 嚢 (ja)
Kabuverdianu: bixiga
Khmer: ផ្លោក (phlaok)
Korean: 부레 (ko) (bure)
Latin: vēsīca f
Low German: Blaas f
Maori: tōngāmimi
Occitan: bofiga (oc) f, vessiga (oc) f
Polish: pęcherz (pl) m
Portuguese: bexiga (pt) f
Romanian: vezică (ro) f, bășică (ro) f
Russian: пузы́рь (ru) m (puzýrʹ)
Scottish Gaelic: balg m
Slovak: mechúr (sk) m
Spanish: vejiga (es) f
Sudovian: dumsle f
Swedish: blåsa (sv)
Ukrainian: міху́р m (mixúr)
Walloon: vexheye (wa) f

urinary bladder — see urinary bladder

hollow inflatable organ in botany

Bulgarian: мехур (bg) m (mehur)
Chinese: 氣囊 (zh)
Finnish: rakko (fi)
French: vésicule (fr) f
German: Blase (de) f
Scottish Gaelic: balg m

inflatable bag inside a ball

Bulgarian: плондир m (plondir)
Chinese: 球膽 (zh)
Czech: duše (cs) f
Finnish: rakko (fi)
French: vessie (fr) f
German: Blase (de) f
Greek: σαμπρέλα (el) f (sampréla)
Russian: ка́мера (ru) f (kámera)
Scottish Gaelic: balg m

sealed plastic wine bag

French: cubi (fr) m
Spanish: cubi m, barrica plástica f, bota (es) f

Verb

bladder (third-person singular simple present bladders, present participle bladdering, simple past and past participle bladdered)

To swell out like a bladder with air; to inflate.
- 1610, Giles Fletcher, Christ's Victorie and Triumph, in Heaven, in Earth, over and after Death
  bladder'd up with pride of his own mcrit
(transitive) To store or put up in bladders.
bladdered lard

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch blader. Variant of blaar. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈblɑ.dər/
Audio (file)
Hyphenation: blad‧der
Rhymes: -ɑdər

Noun

bladder f or m (plural bladders, diminutive bladdertje n)

blister, particularly of paint

Middle English

Noun

bladder

Alternative form of bladdre