blister

[ blis-ter ]

noun

1. a thin vesicle on the skin, containing watery matter or serum, as from a burn or other injury.
2. any similar swelling, as an air bubble in a coat of paint.
3. a relatively large bubble occurring in glass during blowing.
4. Military. a transparent bulge or dome on the fuselage of an airplane, usually for mounting a gun.
5. Photography. a bubble of air formed where the emulsion has separated from the base of a film, as because of defective processing.
6. a dome or skylight on a building.
7. the moving bubble in a spirit level.
8. 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.

verb (used with object)

1. to raise a blister or blisters on:

   These new shoes blistered my feet.

2. to criticize or rebuke severely:

   The boss blistered his assistant in front of the whole office.

3. to beat or thrash; punish severely.

verb (used without object)

1. to form or rise as a blister or blisters; become blistered.

blister

/ ˈblɪstə /

noun

1. a small bubble-like elevation of the skin filled with serum, produced as a reaction to a burn, mechanical irritation, etc
2. a swelling containing air or liquid, as on a painted surface
3. a transparent dome or any bulge on the fuselage of an aircraft, such as one used for observation
4. slang.
   an irritating person
5. slang.
   a rebuke

verb

1. to have or cause to have blisters
2. tr to attack verbally with great scorn or sarcasm

Derived Forms

• ˈblistery, adjective
• ˈblistered, adjective

Other Words From

• re·blister verb
• un·blistered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of blister¹

1250–1300; Middle English blister, blester < Old Norse blǣstri, dative of blāstr swelling. See blast, blow ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of blister¹

C13: from Old French blestre , probably from Middle Dutch bluyster blister; see blast

Example Sentences

This was vital for an especially rainy 50K in Wyoming, when any kind of recurring movement would definitely have resulted in blisters.

From Outside Online

Palestinian artist Mahmoud Al Haj builds bleak cityscapes from pictures of medicine blister packs, inserting small photos of people at windows amid the nooks left by popped-out pills.

From Washington Post

Breathable shoes allow your sweat to evaporate more quickly while keeping your feet cooler and protecting them from blisters and fungi.

From Popular-Science

Drew’s boots are also made of a softer leather than other popular fire boots, which amounts to a quicker break-in time and fewer blisters.

From Outside Online

Luckily with these heel cushion Inserts, you can flaunt your new kicks and not worry about painful blisters.

From Popular-Science

I ended up developing a blister on one of my vocal cords, so that kinda sucked.

From The Daily Beast

Blister rust is like having the flu; the pine beetle is like fast acting leukemia.

From The Daily Beast

Briefly, blister rust is an Asian fungus introduced from Europe to America around 1900.

From The Daily Beast

His face was yellowing again, under the blister of sun and alkali.

From Project Gutenberg

How is it that the moon, that enormous blister-plaster, does not raise them?

From Project Gutenberg

The blister, if larger than a half dollar, should be opened near the edge with a needle which has been passed through a flame.

From Project Gutenberg

The burns which destroy the outer layer of the skin, producing a blister, are treated much as a wound would be treated.

From Project Gutenberg

For this I've wrought until my weary tongue, Blister'd with incantation, flags in speech, And half declines its office.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• abscess
• cyst
• pimple
• sore
• ulcer
• welt