blubber

CEFRC2

/ˈblʌbə/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
noun
Thick body fat, especially under a sea animal’s skin.
02
noun
Extra detail
To wet (one's eyes or face) by crying; to beweep; also, to cause (one's face) to disfigure or swell through crying.

Examples

Atuqtuaq helps his mother take the blubber from the seal carcass.
Atuqtuaq put the blubber into the wooden box.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 5
Parts of speech: 2
Citations: 5
Synonyms: 5

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

Often followed by out: to cry out (words) while sobbing.
Often followed by forth: to let (one's tears) flow freely.
To cry or weep freely and noisily; to sob.

More examples

In context

Her ſvvollen eyes vvere much diſfigured, / And her faire face vvith teares vvas fovvly blubbered.
Here Bliſil ſighed bitterly; upon vvhich VVeſtern, vvhoſe Eyes vvere full of Tears at the praiſe of Sophia, blubbered out, 'Don't be Chicken-hearted, for ſhat ha her, d—n me, ſhat ha her, if ſhe vvas tvventy Times as good.'
What weepe? fye for ſhame, and blubber? for manhods ſake, / Neuer lette your foe ſo muche pleaſure of you take.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The stranded whale had a thick layer of blank that kept it warm in the icy water.

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Nearby

Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

Here Bliſil ſighed bitterly; upon vvhich VVeſtern, vvhoſe Eyes vvere full of Tears at the praiſe of Sophia, blubbered out, 'Don't be Chicken-hearted, for ſhat ha her, d—n me, ſhat ha her, if ſhe vvas tvventy Times as good.'
1749, Henry Fielding, “The Arrival of Mr. Western, with Some Matters Concerning the Paternal Authority”, in The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, volume VI, London: A[ndrew] Mill...
Her ſvvollen eyes vvere much diſfigured, / And her faire face vvith teares vvas fovvly blubbered.
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 13, page 190
[T]hree of the boys, of whom Mr. Hector was sometimes one, used to come in the morning as his humble attendants, and carry him [Johnson] to school. […] The purfly, sand-blind lubber and blubber, with his open mouth, and face of bruised honeycomb; yet already dominant, imperial, irresistible!
1832 May, Thomas Carlyle, “[James] Boswell’s Life of [Samuel] Johnson”, in R[alph] W[aldo] E[merson], editor, Critical and Miscellaneous Essays: […], volume III, Boston, Mass.: James Munroe and Company, published 1839, →OCLC, page 147
It was really emotional. I am a blubber at the best of times. I had only been there for 18 months and found it upsetting so it was really hard for the people that had been there for 18 years.
2011 April 13, Nikki Sanderson, quotee, “Nikki Sanderson: from the Street to the stage”, in Geordie Greig, editor, Evening Standard, London: Evening Standard, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 24 Mar 2023
As an auctioneer, you tend to come into people's lives when they are going through an awful lot, and it is very difficult not to get emotionally involved. You feel responsible for helping them to achieve their goal, and that's quite a weight to carry on your shoulders. I am a blubber at the best of times – it doesn't take a lot to set me off!
2022 October 24, Christina Trevanion, quotee, “The Repair Shop’s Will Kirk and Antiques Road Trip’s Christina Trevanion Become The Travelling Auctioneers in Idyllic New BBC One Series”, in BBC, published 25 October 2022, archived from the original on 24 Mar 2023

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Origin

noun

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 derived from the verb. Verb etymology 1, verb sense 1.2 (“to cause (one’s face) to disfigure or swe...