Frothings

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Bubbles or foam produced on a liquid's surface by agitation or chemical action; excessive saliva or foam from the mouth, often due to irritation or illness; a vigorous outpouring or display of emotion or speech
2. A mass of small bubbles formed by churning or fermentation in a liquid; frothy discharge typically seen in animals with health issues; an intense, uncontrollable expression of feelings or rhetoric
3. The formation of a frothy layer caused by air or gas trapped in a liquid; a noticeable foam emanating from the mouth in medical contexts; an energetic and effusive verbal or emotional outburst

Etymology: "Frothings" is simply the plural of "froth" in its participial noun form, so it names several instances of the same foamy material or several bursts of the same heated outpouring. The plural sense is most often heard in the figurative phrase "frothings at the mouth," which turns a literal foam into an image of rage or excitement. The base word "frothing" is itself a derivative of "froth," a noun whose history reaches back into the Middle English period, where it referred to the foam on the surface of a liquid. The "-ing" ending turns the verb "to froth" into a noun meaning the act or result of frothing, which is why the plural can point to several separate outbursts of foam or passion.

Synonyms: foam, froth, bubbles, spume, lather