semanteme

n. sememe. semantic, a. pertaining to meaning. semantics, n. science of meanings
of words.

A wood from the Philippines:
Q.
We built a bar for a restaurant - lauan ribs,lauan ply and
bending ply, p-lam interior, with foam padded vinyl
exterior. The problem is that the owners are saying it
smells like someone threw-up on it. The bar has been in
place since Apr. The odor has been narrowed down to the
lauan. Any thoughts?

A.
The odor is caused by anaerobic bacteria that were in the
living tree or that developed because the logs were stored
in stagnant water. It is a well known phenomenon. The
bacteria create fatty acids while they are alive (they are
dead now) and then these acids turn rancid. With
moisture, the smell returns. There is no cure other than
replacement. Do you want more detailed information
about this or is this enough? I could talk about this for an
hour or more!

Professor Gene Wengert is Extension Specialist in Wood
Processing at the Department of Forestry, University of
Wisconsin-Madison.

obloquy
n.,
pl. 3quies 5ME obliqui < LL obloquium < L obloqui, to speak against < ob3 (see OB3) + loqui, to speak6
1 verbal abuse of a person or thing; censure or vituperation, esp. when widespread or general
2 ill repute, disgrace, or infamy resulting from this

heaume
n.
5Fr < OFr helme: see HELMET6 a heavy medieval helmet covering the entire head and reaching to the shoulders

If you ask just a few orchid growers how to grow Brazil’s rupicolous laelias, you’re sure to hear
stories of failure. This is ironic, because, compared with other small-growing orchids such as
pleurothallids, these orchids are remarkably rugged. Their space-saving stature and colorful
flowers make them worth growing. Like all orchid culture, it’s easy once you know what the plants
need. Although experimentation may be required for your own personal growing conditions, it
helps to have a starting point.

cuerda
1. cord, rope, string

ptyalin: a digestive enzyme found in saliva that begins the digestion of starches in the mouth. ..

I had no luck finding this one. Dozens of sites in which it was used in French text. But two
online French dictionaries each gave "0 matches". It might be similar to English "elogy",
but closer to "praise".Perhaps even "choice". In French it is éloge.

>sabin
n.
5after W. C. Sabine (1868-1919), U.S. physicist6 Acoustics the unit for absorption of sound equal to the absorption provided by one square foot of a completely absorbing material

maverick gave this with definition June 8, 02, but I'll bet nobody remembers.
I have processed clay for use on a potter's wheel. It has to be just the right consistency,
entirely uniform, and free of air bubbles which can cause mighty explosions in
the kiln, and ruin much work.

Gavage = gastric lavage. If someone has ingested poison, washing out the stomach if
done in time may be llifesaving.