Originally published on 60x365.com on May 30, 2008:

Boiling -- Boil"ing\, a. Heated to the point of bubbling; heaving with bubbles; in tumultuous agitation, as boiling liquid; surging; seething; swelling with heat, ardor, or passion.

Boiling point, the temperature at which a fluid is converted into vapor, with the phenomena of ebullition. This is different for different liquids, and for the same liquid under different pressures. For water, at the level of the sea, barometer 30 in., it is 212º Fahrenheit; for alcohol, 172.96º; for ether, 94.8º; for mercury, about 675º. The boiling point of water is lowered one degree Fahrenheit for about 550 feet of ascent above the level of the sea.

[ courtesy of dictionary.com ]