Blop

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A soft, rounded drop or blob of a liquid or semi-liquid substance falling or settling quietly; a small, gentle sound made by such a drop landing; a term used informally to describe an indistinct, shapeless spot or mark
2. A loosely shaped lump or blob of any wet or sticky material dropping slowly or irregularly; the mild splat or plop noise caused by such a mass; an informal label for a small, amorphous patch or stain
3. A small, plump mass of liquid that forms and detaches with a quiet splash; an onomatopoeic expression for the dull sound of something moist dropping; a casual descriptor for an unclear, blob-like smudge or spot

Etymology: "Blop" is onomatopoeic: its form is meant to imitate the sound itself, the soft, wet noise of a drop of liquid falling into a pool or a heavier mass sinking into something. The sound-word sits in the same family as "blob," "plop," and "drop," and the shared "bl" opening gives it the feel of something round and bulging that gives way with a small noise. The noun and verb senses follow from that sound. The noun names the small, plump drop of liquid that gathers and breaks away, and by extension an unclear, blob-like smudge or spot. The verb describes the act of making that sound, as something moist drops or sinks with a dull splash. Because the word was built to imitate a noise rather than to name an object, its meanings are tied to how things look and sound at the moment they fall or spread.

Synonyms: blob, drop, blobble