bubbler

Bubbler is a regional term for what’s more commonly called a drinking fountain or a water fountain—a device that ejects a fountainlike stream of water that can be drunk from without a cup.

The word bubbler is typically only used this way in a few areas of the U.S., including Wisconsin and parts of New England.

Bubbler is also used in other contexts to refer to a device that sends gas bubbles through a liquid. Such equipment may be used in chemistry experiments, for example. They’re sometimes called gas bubblers. 

An irrigation bubbler is a device used to water the soil around tree roots, typically as part of an irrigation system in an orchard.

Example: The line to get a drink from the bubbler at the Sox game was wicked long.

The first records of the word bubbler come from the early 1700s, but it wasn’t used in reference to a water fountain until much later.

As is the case with many other regional terms, saying bubbler when referring to a water fountain is often a clue to where someone lives or grew up. However, the word bubbler is also used in other specific contexts that don’t vary by region.

What are some synonyms for bubbler?

• water fountain
• drinking fountain

What are some words that share a root or word element with bubbler? 

• bubble

What are some words that often get used in discussing bubbler?

• water
• drink
• fountain
• regional
• dialect
• New England
• gas
• irrigation

When used in reference to a water fountain, the word bubbler is a highly regional term that’s typically associated with parts of New England and Wisconsin.

No surprises here. I drink from a bubbler & pronounce "aunt" with an "ah". I drink "soda" but my parents and grandparents drink "tonic". pic.twitter.com/hUoA3TI2kK

— Katie Turner Getty (@KTGetty13) October 9, 2020

Online Test: We will figure out where you live based on your speech patterns.

Me: Okay, cool. Let me get a drink from the bubbler before we start.

Online Test: pic.twitter.com/fJ0CKEiLGy

— DJUNGELSKOG (@Matic82Otto) October 8, 2020

Types of Irrigation: Bubbler
Used most often for shrubs and trees, bubblers have higher discharge rates and shorter watering cycles. Because bubblers can operate at high pressures, they are particularly useful for conversion from conventional sprinkler to low-volume systems.

— Tina Wolf (@tinalwolf) May 20, 2019

True or False? 

People who use the word bubbler to refer to a water fountain are often from the Southern U.S.