blub
UK[blʌb]US[blʌb]
v
To cry noisily and uncontrollably.
n
The act or sound of blubbering.
Etymology
The word 'blub' is an echoic or onomatopoeic formation from the late 16th century, directly imitating the sound of bubbling water or the convulsive catching of breath during loud weeping. It is closely related to the older and more common term 'blubber', which originally meant 'the foaming of the sea' before its meaning shifted to describe noisy weeping. The core phonetic element 'bl-' is a recurring sound symbol in English for movement or sound involving the lips, such as in 'blow', 'blast', and 'blubber' itself. Over time, 'blub' evolved as a clipped, informal variant specifically denoting the act of crying noisily.
Analysis
This word is considered a simplex form. It is an onomatopoeic word, imitating the sound of bubbling or sobbing with the lips, particularly the sound /bl/ and the short vowel /ʌ/.
Examples
The toddler started to blub when his toy was taken away.
I could hear him blub in the next room after hearing the bad news.
She tried to speak but it just came out as an incoherent blub.