Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BLOAT, v.t. [This word may be allied to bladder, from the sense of inflating, swelling; W. blwth, a puff, a blast; blythaç, a fat paunch, a bloated person.]

1. To swell or make turgid, as with air; to inflate; to puff up; hence, to make vain; followed by up, but without necessity. To bloat up with praise, is less elegant than to bloat with praise. – Dryden.
2. To swell or make turgid with water, or other means; as, a bloated limb. It is used to denote a morbid enlargement, often accompanied with softness.