the.com/smoke
the visible ghost of fire, every particle a tiny eulogy for something that used to be solid
means The grey or black airborne mixture of gases and fine particles released when something burns.
from From Old English 'smoca' (noun) and 'smocian' (verb), descended from a Proto-Germanic root 'smuk-' meaning to smoke or smolder — a cousin of Dutch 'smook' and German 'Schmauch'. The same ancient root is thought to be related to a Proto-Indo-European 'smeug-', tied to smoldering and smoke. The word has drifted into figurative life over centuries, from 'go up in smoke' to 'where there's smoke there's fire,' but at its core it's always meant the same thing the eye sees rising off a flame.
physicsIt's airborne solids, not gas, technically a suspension
signalingSmoke signals carried messages miles before electricity existed
papal voteWhite smoke means the cardinals finally picked a pope
flavorSmoking food preserves it by killing microbes chemically
deathsMost fire fatalities come from inhalation, not flames