bubble

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English bobel Date: 14th century 1. a small globule typically hollow and light: as a. a small body of gas within a liquid b. a thin film of liquid inflated with air or gas c. a globule in a transparent solid d. something (as a plastic or inflatable structure) that is hemispherical or semicylindrical 2. a. something that lacks firmness, solidity, or reality b. a delusive scheme 3. a sound like that of bubbling 4. magnetic bubble 5. a state of booming economic activity (as in a stock market) that often ends in a sudden collapse 6. the condition of being at risk of exclusion or replacement (as from a tournament) — usually used in the phrase on the bubble <

teams still on the bubble for the play-offs

> II. verb (bubbled; bubbling) Date: 15th century intransitive verb 1. a. to form or produce bubbles b. to rise in or as if in bubbles — usually used with up 2. to flow with a gurgling sound <

a brook bubbling over rocks

> 3. a. to become lively or effervescent <

bubbling with good humor

> b. to speak in a lively and fluent manner transitive verb 1. to utter (as words) effervescently 2. to cause to bubble