blubber

C2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈblʌbəɹ/ UK /ˈblʌbə/ See IPA manual

Freq #27932

Meanings

1

verb
To cry loudly and messily, often while struggling to speak.

The child blubbered for ten minutes after dropping her ice cream.
2

noun
The thick layer of fat under the skin of whales and other sea mammals.

A whale's blubber keeps it warm in icy water.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to cry loudly and messily,... sob weep wail

Word family

Forms blubberedblubberingblubbers

Derived forms beblubberbeblubberedblubblubberationblubberbrainblubberedblubbererblubberfestblubberheadblubberingblubberinglyblubberless

Simplified etymology

Blubber, meaning “to cry,” dates from the late 16th century and belongs to a group of words in Germanic and Romance languages thought to imitate bubbling sounds.

Etymology

The verb is derived from Late Middle English bloberen, bluberen (“to bubble, seethe”); and the noun from Late Middle English blober, bluber (“bubble; bubbling water; foaming waves; fish or whale oil; entrails, intestines; (medicine) pustule”), both probably onomatopoeic, representing the movement or sound of a bubbling liquid, or the movement of lips forming bubbles (compare bleb and blob, thought to be similarly imitative). As both the verb and noun are attested in the 14th century, it is difficult to tell which one developed first; the Oxford English Dictionary suggests that the noun may be…

bloberen Middle English blober Middle English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# blubber

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** verb, noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈblʌbəɹ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈblʌbə/
**Frequency rank:** 27932

## Meanings
1. To cry loudly and messily, often while struggling to speak.
2. The thick layer of fat under the skin of whales and other sea mammals.

## Examples
- The child blubbered for ten minutes after dropping her ice cream.
- A whale's blubber keeps it warm in icy water.

## Derived Forms
- beblubber
- beblubbered
- blub
- blubberation
- blubberbrain
- blubbered
- blubberer
- blubberfest
- blubberhead
- blubbering
- blubberingly
- blubberless

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: bloberen
- Root: blober

## Etymology
The verb is derived from Late Middle English bloberen, bluberen (“to bubble, seethe”); and the noun from Late Middle English blober, bluber (“bubble; bubbling water; foaming waves; fish or whale oil; entrails, intestines; (medicine) pustule”), both probably onomatopoeic, representing the movement or sound of a bubbling liquid, or the movement of lips forming bubbles (compare bleb and blob, thought to be similarly imitative). As both the verb and noun are attested in the 14th century, it is difficult to tell which one developed first; the Oxford English Dictionary suggests that the noun may be…

## AI Etymology
Blubber has separate etymological notes: The verb is derived from Late Middle English bloberen, bluberen (“to bubble, seethe”); and the noun from Late Middle English blober, bluber (“bubble; bubbling water; foaming waves; fish or whale oil; entrails, intestines; (medicine) pustule”), both probably onomatopoeic, representing the movement or sound of a bubbling liquid, or the movement of lips forming bubbles (compare bleb and blob, thought to be similarly imitative). As both the verb and noun are attested in the 14th century, it is difficult to tell which one developed first; the Oxford English Dictionary suggests that the noun may be… Important recorded forms include bloberen (Middle English) and blober (Middle English). Current senses include to cry loudly and messily, often while struggling to speak and the thick layer of fat under the skin of whales and other sea mammals. The wider family includes derived forms such as beblubber, beblubbered, blub, blubberation, and blubberbrain.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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