Bubbled

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Released small pockets of gas through a liquid or surface ; spoke in a quivering or excited manner, often with hesitation
2. Produced or caused the formation of gas bubbles in a liquid ; uttered words in a trembling, excited, or hesitant voice
3. Created a bubbling effect by sending out gas bubbles ; expressed something in a lively, faltering, or emotional way

Etymology: The verb "bubbled" is simply the past tense of "bubble," so its story is really the story of the noun. The word is partly imitative, meaning its sound suggests its meaning, and it is close kin to a family of Germanic words across the Low Countries and Scandinavia: Middle Dutch "bobbe," Dutch "bubbel," Danish "boble," and Swedish "bubbla" all mean the same thing. Its shape was also pulled toward "burble," the sound of water or speech rising and gurgling, which reinforced the bubbling noise a liquid makes as it fizzes or boils. The most surprising chapter came much later. In 1720, the word was first used in its economic sense, tied to the collapse of the South Sea Company. The image came from an inflated soap bubble that looks fine until it suddenly bursts, and the metaphor for a speculative investment that swells on hype and then pops has stuck ever since.

Synonyms: boiled, fermented, effervesced

Antonyms: flattened