Word
blob
US/ˈbɫɑb/
UK/blˈɒb/
Definition
n. a small, soft, or shapeless mass of something liquid or sticky. You might see a blob of paint on a table or a blob of jam on your toast.
n. a small, indistinct, or shapeless mass of a substance, typically one that is viscous or liquid. Often used to describe objects that lack a defined outline or structure.
Examples
“A large blob of blue paint fell onto the white carpet.”
“The satellite image showed a mysterious green blob moving slowly across the surface of the ocean.”
“In the early stages of the experiment, the cells appeared as a singular, undifferentiated blob under the microscope before they began to specialize and form distinct structures.”
Examples
simple
“A large blob of blue paint fell onto the white carpet.”
contextual
“The satellite image showed a mysterious green blob moving slowly across the surface of the ocean.”
complex
“In the early stages of the experiment, the cells appeared as a singular, undifferentiated blob under the microscope before they began to specialize and form distinct structures.”
Usage
Commonly followed by the preposition 'of' to specify the substance.
Etymology
From Middle English *blob (“attested in blobby”). Possibly onomatopoeic, similarly to bleb and blubber.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
The word in film
The Blob · 1958 · Sci-Fi
- Directed by:
- Irvin Yeaworth
- Starring:
- Steve McQueen, Olin Howland, Aneta Corsaut
Irvin Yeaworth directs this iconic 1950s science fiction thriller starring a young Steve McQueen as a teenager trying to warn his town about an aggressive, gelatinous alien organism. The title uses the word for an amorphous, shapeless mass of liquid to describe a creature that continuously absorbs anything in its path.
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/blob