Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
air bladder

air bladder

1 4.9
A sac inside many fish that holds air and helps them float at different depths
  • noun
  • /ɛr ˈblædər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : vejiga natatoria
  • Twelve air bladders, also called air springs, are arranged symmetrically around the bar, and they absorb nearly all of the plane's vibrations, keeping the telescope's image relatively steady.

Examples

  • Unlike bony fishes, sharks do not have air bladders to give them buoyancy.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The air bladder allows the fish to maintain its depth while swimming in the water.

  • Small fish are sometimes thrown back as "too small" even though expansion of their air bladder from rapid decompression causes them to float and die.

    Academic text (1998)

  • The secret is pressurized air bladders that isolate the telescope from aircraft vibrations.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The gyroscopes, along with the air bladders and the plane's heading, will provide SOFIA with unprecedented pointing accuracy.

    Academic text (2002)

  • In the case of live food fish, fishermen are taught hook-and-line techniques for catching groupers and, most importantly, simple ways to decompress the fish's air bladders to ensure post-harvest survival and health.

    Academic text (1998)

  • When a fish is reeled in quickly, its air bladder can expand and cause it to float uncontrollably.

  • Some species of fish rely on their air bladders to regulate buoyancy and avoid sinking.

Synonyms

float
vsair bladder
  • Specialized
3 7.4

An air sac near a fish's backbone that helps it stay level in water

is the same organ but the description uses a different anatomical phrasing
swim bladder
vsair bladder
  • Specialized
1 5.0

An air sac in many fish that helps them stay at a certain depth in water

is the same sac but named or described differently in other sources

Surface Forms

air bladder singular
air bladders plural

Morphology

air + bladder

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'air' (gas) with 'bladder' (an organ that stores a substance): it denotes an organ that stores air. This noun+noun compositional pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Air bladder is a simple picture: a small sac full of air inside a fish, like a built-in balloon. By filling or emptying the bladder, the fish can 'float' or sink and so keep its balance and 'stay at a certain depth', which is why the name refers to the organ that controls a fish's movement in the water.