Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Origin: Probably from the sound of bubbles in liquid

bubble

1 noun
     
bubble
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bub‧ble1 [countable]
1 a ball of air or gas in liquid:
When water boils, bubbles rise to the surface.
soap bubbles
She was blowing bubbles in her milk with a straw.
2 a small amount of air trapped in a solid substance:
Examine the glass carefully for bubbles.
3

a bubble of something

literary a small amount of a feeling:
A bubble of anger rose in Pol's throat.
4 also speech bubbleTCN a circle around the words said by someone in a cartoon
5

the bubble bursts

used for saying that a very successful or happy period of time suddenly ends:
The bubble has finally burst in the mobile phone industry.
6

burst/prick somebody's bubble

to make someone suddenly realize that something is not as good as they thought it was
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
 
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