blister
[blis-ter]
- a thin vesicle on the skin, containing watery matter or serum, as from a burn or other injury.
- any similar swelling, as an air bubble in a coat of paint.
- a relatively large bubble occurring in glass during blowing.
- Military. a transparent bulge or dome on the fuselage of an airplane, usually for mounting a gun.
- Photography. a bubble of air formed where the emulsion has separated from the base of a film, as because of defective processing.
- a dome or skylight on a building.
- the moving bubble in a spirit level.
- a small blisterlike covering of plastic, usually affixed to a piece of cardboard and containing a small item, as a pen, bolt, or medicinal tablet.
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- to raise a blister or blisters on: These new shoes blistered my feet.
- to criticize or rebuke severely: The boss blistered his assistant in front of the whole office.
- to beat or thrash; punish severely.
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- to form or rise as a blister or blisters; become blistered.
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Origin of blister
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for blistered
Contemporary Examples
Photographs leaked from inside Zeinhom morgue show charred and blistered bodies strewn on the floor.
Grill or broil, turning occasionally, until the skins are black and blistered.
Historical Examples
I kissed the place; for I am sure it was blistered, as I may say, by a mother's tear!
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
So, he was bled and he was blistered, and he was this and that, for six whole days and nights.
The Uncommercial TravellerCharles Dickens
My back is sore, and my hands are blistered with handling them to-day.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, CompleteAlbert Bigelow Paine
It was hot, and while it blistered the greedy palates, it seemed incredible.
The Nigger Of The "Narcissus"Joseph Conrad
He is stone blind, poor fellow, and his feet are blistered and sore.
The Pearl of the Antilles, or An Artist in CubaWalter Goodman
blister
- a small bubble-like elevation of the skin filled with serum, produced as a reaction to a burn, mechanical irritation, etc
- a swelling containing air or liquid, as on a painted surface
- a transparent dome or any bulge on the fuselage of an aircraft, such as one used for observation
- slang an irritating person
- NZ slang a rebuke
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- to have or cause to have blisters
- (tr) to attack verbally with great scorn or sarcasm
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Word Origin
C13: from Old French blestre, probably from Middle Dutch bluyster blister; see blast
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for blistered
blister
n.
c.1300, perhaps via Old French blestre "blister, lump, bump," from a Scandinavian source (cf. Old Norse blastr "a blowing," dative blæstri "swelling"), or from Middle Dutch blyster "swelling;" perhaps from PIE *bhlei- "to blow, swell," extension of root *bhel- (2) "to blow, inflate, swell;" see bole.
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blister
v.
"to become covered in blisters," late 15c.; "to raise blisters on," 1540s, from blister (n.). Related: Blistered; blistering.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
blister
(blĭs′tər)- A local swelling of the skin that contains watery fluid and is caused by burning, infection, or irritation.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.