bubble

Definition

A spherically contained volume of air or other gas, especially one made from soapy liquid.

Etymology

Partly imitative, also influenced by burble. Compare Middle Dutch bobbe (“bubble”) > Dutch bubbel (“bubble”), Low German bubbel (“bubble”), Danish boble (“bubble”), Swedish bubbla (“bubble”). The word was first used in its economic sense in association with the collapse of the South Sea Company in 1720, based on the metaphor of an inflated soap bubble bursting.

Example Sentences

• "bubbles in window glass, or in a lens"
• "Then a soldier […] / Seeking the bubble reputation / Even in the cannon's mouth"
• "real estate bubble"