SEMTEX NOUN (WAR AND WEAPONRY)

A very malleable, odourless plastic explosive. Etymology: The name given to the product by its manufacturer; probably formed from the first part of SemtÂn (the name of the village in East Bohemia, Czechoslovakia, near the Semtex factory) and -ex (perhaps standing for the initial syllable of explosive or export). History and Usage: Semtex was originally a secret Czech military invention and was probably first made during the seventies, although not under this name. Its manufacture was taken over by the East Bohemia Chemical Works in Pardubice-SemtÂn; it has been known as Semtex to intelligence sources outside Czechoslovakia since about 1982. Semtex had a number of non-aggressive uses, for example in the construction industry; however, its lack of odour and its malleability made it a favoured explosive for terrorist bombs as well, since it could be concealed easily and was difficult for sniffer dogs to detect. It was this use by terrorists which brought the word Semtex into the news in English-speaking countries from about the middle of the eighties. Police officials told Agence France-Presse that the explosive might have been Semtex, which they called the 'signature' explosive of Middle Eastern terrorist groups. New York Times 9 Dec. 1985, section A, p. 7 The Czechs were replying to a Foreign Office request for help in fighting terrorism and in tracing the growing consignments of Semtex reaching the IRA from Col Gaddafi of Libya. Daily Telegraph 27 Aug. 1988, p. 1