bubble English · revision 7165

+ {{infobox|confidence=uncertain|formation=onomatopoeia|attested=c. 1325}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈbʌbəl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English bobel, perhaps from Middle Dutch [[m|dum|bobbel]] and Middle Low German bubbeln, to bubble,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) all probably imitative.^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) NODE and SOED take it as partly imitative and partly an alteration of [[burble]].^(NODE 1998)^(SOED 2002)^(Hoad 1986) Word Origins groups it with other words imitating bubbling sounds, such as [[blubber]].^(Cresswell 2021)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A small globe of liquid filled with air or gas: about 1325 in Barnhart, the early 14th century in Etymonline, 1481 in the OED.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The verb, to form bubbles, is from about 1440, the late 15th century in Etymonline.^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) Figuratively, anything fragile or unsubstantial is from the 1590s.^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989) Of inflated markets or financial schemes it comes from the South Sea Bubble, which began about 1711 and collapsed in 1720.^(Etymonline) A transparent dome over an aircraft cockpit is from 1945,^(OED 1989) and ''bubble bath'' is recorded by 1937.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1325 – a bubble.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * c. 1440 – to bubble (verb).^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1590s – something unsubstantial.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1711 – the South Sea Bubble.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1937 – bubble bath.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A thin sphere of liquid enclosing air or gas, or a small ball of gas in a liquid.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Something insubstantial or short-lived.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # ''(economics)'' A situation in which prices rise far above real value before falling sharply.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A protected or isolated situation or group.^(Dalzell 2013)

+

+ ===Verb===

+ # To form or produce bubbles; to [[boil]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To be full of a lively feeling: ''bubbling with excitement''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[bubbleless]]

+ * [[bubblelike]]

+ * [[bubblingly]]

+ * [[abubble]]

+ * [[bubblegum]]

+ * [[bubblehead]]

+ * [[bubbler]]

+ * [[bubbletop]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[bubbly]]

+ * [[burble]]

+ * [[blubber]]

+ * [[bobble]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}