bloating

bloat  (blt)

v. bloat·ed, bloat·ing, bloats

v.tr.

1. To cause to swell up or inflate, as with liquid or gas.

2. To cure (fish) by soaking in brine and half-drying in smoke.

v.intr.

To become swollen or inflated: "Government had bloated out of control" (Lance Morrow).

n.

1. A swelling of the rumen or intestinal tract of cattle and domestic animals that is caused by excessive gas formation following fermentation of ingested watery legumes or green forage.

2. An excess or surfeit, as of employees, expenses, or procedures: corporate bloat.

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[From Middle English blout, soft, puffed, from Old Norse blautr, soft, soaked; see bhleu- in Indo-European roots.]

Translations

bloating [ˈbləʊtɪŋ] n (= swelling) → ballonnements mpl