1727, from Japanese samurai warrior, knight, originally the military retainer of the daimio, variant of saburai, nominal form of sabura(h)u to be in attendance, to serve..
The bubbles make a noise when they burst. This is called cavitation. Another cause for painless popping in the knee is when the ligaments and tendons catch as they go over a bony lump and pop when they snap back into place. Or the clicking and popping may be caused by catching on soft tissue or scar tissue within the knee.
In the knee, for example, cracking or popping may occur if the patella (knee cap) is slightly out of alignment, and rubs on the adjacent tissues. Other causes of joint noise are the snapping of tendons or scar tissue over a prominence or something referred to as cavitation. Cavitation frequently occurs in synovial joints when a small vacuum forms in the synovial fluid and a rapid release produces a sharp popping or cracking sound.