Smoke (smōk) , noun
[Anglo-Saxon smoca, from smeócan to smoke; akin to LG. & Dutch smook smoke, Danish smog, German schmauch, and perh. to Greek {not transcribed} to burn in a smoldering fire; compare Lithuanian smaugti to choke.]
1.
The visible exhalation, vapor, or substance that escapes, or expelled, from a burning body, especially from burning vegetable matter, as wood, coal, peat, or the like.
The gases of hydrocarbons, raised to a red heat or thereabouts, without a mixture of air enough to produce combustion, disengage their carbon in a fine powder, forming smoke. The disengaged carbon when deposited on solid bodies is soot.
2.
That which resembles smoke; a vapor; a mist.
3.
Anything unsubstantial, as idle talk. — Shakespeare
4.
The act of smoking, esp. of smoking tobacco; as, to have a smoke. [Colloquial]
Smoke is sometimes joined with other word. forming self-explaining compounds; as, smoke-consuming, smoke-dried, smoke-stained, etc.
Collocations (8)
Smoke arch , the smoke box of a locomotive.
Smoke ball (Military) , a ball or case containing a composition which, when it burns, sends forth thick smoke.
Smoke black , lampblack. [Obsolete]
Smoke board , a board suspended before a fireplace to prevent the smoke from coming out into the room.
Smoke box , a chamber in a boiler, where the smoke, etc., from the furnace is collected before going out at the chimney.
Smoke sail (Nautical) , a small sail in the lee of the galley stovepipe, to prevent the smoke from annoying people on deck.
Smoke tree (Botany) , a shrub (Rhus Cotinus) in which the flowers are mostly abortive and the panicles transformed into tangles of plumose pedicels looking like wreaths of smoke.
To end in smoke , to burned; hence, to be destroyed or ruined; figuratively, to come to nothing.