A bubble is a thin ball of liquid filled with air or gas, like a soap bubble or the bubbles in boiling water. The word can also describe a temporary situation where prices or excitement rise too high and then suddenly collapse.
Probably from Middle English “bobel” or “burble,” imitating the sound of bubbling water. It belongs to a group of sound-based words used for liquids and gurgling.
Bubbles are tiny battles between air pressure and surface tension, which is why they pop so easily. In economics, a “bubble” is just as fragile: lots of excitement stretched thin over not much real support.
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