I. ˈbə-bəl 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
( bub·bled ; bub·bling ˈbə-b(ə-)liŋ)
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