Main Entry: ¹bub·ble

Pronunciation: \ˈbə-bəl\

Function: 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>