Wednesday, May 11, 2011

ebullition



ebullition [ˌɛbəˈlɪʃən] n.

1.) A boiling or bubbling up of a liquid; the motion produced in a liquid by its rapid conversion into vapor.
2.) Effervescence occasioned by fermentation or by any other process which causes the liberation of a gas or an aeriform fluid, as in the mixture of an acid with a carbonated alkali.
3.) A sudden burst or violent display; an outburst; as, an ebullition of anger or ill temper.

Etymology: Middle English ebullitioun, from Late Latin ebullitio, ebullition-, from Latin ebullitus, past participle of ebullire, to bubble up.

"My father, in this patient endurance of wrongs, which I mention, was very different, as the reader must long ago have noted; he had a much more acute and quick sensibility of nature, attended with a little soreness of temper; tho' this never transported him to any thing which looked like malignancy:—yet in the little rubs and vexations of life, 'twas apt to shew itself in a drollish and witty kind of peevishness:—He was, however, frank and generous in his nature;—at all times open to conviction; and in the little ebullitions of this subacid humour towards others, but particularly towards my uncle Toby, whom he truly loved:—he would feel more pain, ten times told (except in the affair of my aunt Dinah, or where an hypothesis was concerned) than what he ever gave" (The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, Laurence Sterne, 1759).

Tristram Shandy, a Bay Racehorse Held by a Groom, in an Extensive Landscape, George Stubbs, 1760

29 comments:

Astronomy Pirate said...

I can't not think of some wizard using this term. It sounds like something that would just ooze off of Vincent Price's tongue. (If you don't know who Vincent Price is, you are missing out on one of histories finest actors.)

Jazz bazooka said...

probably would use it in chemistry , thanks

Unknown said...

I have heard of ebullient, but not ebullition.

Very interesting blog you have here!

JayPower said...

Diddnt know the meaning of this before now! ;D

DEZMOND said...

sounds like one of those words that our vocabulary doesn't really need :)))

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I always thought this was spelled "ebullion" as in a tremendous bubbling up of joy. Am I confusing two words? Or am I just wrong AGAIN?

strawberry Princess said...

a word I never heard about but i guess I heard something that sounds like one though it's totally diff..

Zombie said...

Totally agree with Astronomy Pirate! lol.

**Hype.Planet** said...

To me, it sounds like a word that only a wise wizard should use.

-E- said...

@Astronomy Pirate yeah i know vincent price. "pray speak quietly, every sound you make is exquisite agony to me" is one of the best lines ever.

@Damyanti yes this is the noun form of ebullient. blogger won't let me follow your blog, fyi. it claims it can't find the feed.

@DEZMOND ever read 1984?

@Debra She Who Seeks i think you're thinking of ebullient, the adjective form of this word.

Dave said...

Ebullition plays a big part of my day.

Meri said...

This is a strong, no-nonsense word. I've only heard it in terms of describing a person as "ebullient." I like it in noun form, I'm going to use it today. Cheers!

i said...

Haha, I remember I read a foreign cooking blog where the author translated "boiling" as "ebullition" and it blew my mind. For some reason complicated, uncommon words that mean the same as everyday words amuse me!

MRanthrope said...

that Laurence Sterne excerpt is a tongue twister if I ever saw one.

Anonymous said...

This is one of those words that just strikes me as gross...so the definition kind of fits.

abrielle said...

i think it sounds like a necessary vocabulary word, it sounds ~*~*~interesting~*~*~

Mercurio said...

more like a technical word

123 said...

It sounds more like some random spell a wizard would use, than just something one would say

EBULLITION CARNEVRIDUM

okay maybe not so much

Angela said...

What a very interesting, useful word. Colorful, but in the best sense.

Kicking Rocks said...

great word!

Megan said...

Shandy is such a good name :)

(it's my maiden name!)

Anonymous said...

There's a ebullition happening in the kitchen :D

Jay said...

I love George Stubb's artwork! :D

Lydia Kang said...

It sounds like what it means. Nice one!

Bart said...

underwear, honestly. im drunk. honestly. whats wrong with you!?

Intraman said...

it's interesting how a lot of words you posted on here, while considered unusual and literary in English, are actually borrowed from very common French words. Words like frisson, droll (drôle), velleity (velléité), ebullition, soupcon, ennui... are all words that someone with a few hours of French class would have already heard. However it does not seem that the French consider words borrowed from English as particularly elegant.

BannedFromAdsense.NET said...

Interesting :)

shari said...

I've used ebullient, but not ebullition. I have met people with an ebullient personality... and have read about someone's ebullient laughter. It's weird, the more I think of the word, the more I think I'm spelling it wrong. Better stop now.

Samuel Jackson said...

Amazing word!

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