Regardless of what else the term - and those descended from it - may have come to mean, the original term was simply meant to describe a mass of something.

[And the cubuses were certainly that, if nothing else, though by the sigh in his voice he's a little annoyed about the sidetrack, slight though it had been. Not surprised, no. But a little irritated all the same, and there's some part of him that's almost relieved when she manages to get herself back on track.]

Typically, yes. And if it were capable of movement besides, that could well explain how no one has found it. [A pause and this time he really does sigh.] Though it will, of course, make it that much more difficult to track down.

[Not impossible, certainly. But not a particularly trivial task, either.]