Meaning: smoke

Illustrative Context

I could see the smoke from the fire.

Disambiguation

• The noun smoke, not the verb to smoke.

Target Sense

• The most generic term for smoke in the prototypical sense of the grey smoke that rises from a fire of dry wood (as in the illustrative context).
• The most basic, generic lexeme will typically be applicable much more widely, but do not select narrower lexemes specific to different contexts, i.e. avoid terms such as exhaust, or for specific types of ‘smoke’, e.g. thick or acrid smoke from the burning of plastics, specifically tobacco smoke, etc..
• Not to be confused with steam, i.e. the vapour of evaporating water — unless a language (unusually) has as its only most basic term a lexeme that covers steam as well as smoke.
• Not to be confused with the separate IE-CoR meaning ash, nor with soot (as a solid), gas, cloud, etc..
• Select the basic term in the default register: avoid any technical or scientific definitions or terms.
• Select the term for the literal meaning of smoke rising from a fire. Avoid terms specific to narrower or figurative extensions, e.g. terms that focus on smoke as an indication of danger, pollution, for cooking, or an opportunity to confuse, hide, escape, or signal messages.