steam

The hot gaseous form of water, formed when water changes from the liquid phase to the gas phase (at or above its boiling point temperature).

Adjective

  1. Old-fashioned; from before the digital age.
    • Tom Earle, a CBC radio veteran now compiling audio archives in Ottawa, used to refer to the medium in which he worked as "steam radio" - 1989 December 30, “Despite the era's technological marvels, 'wireless' is still...
    • Unlike the Web, old-fashioned steam television must be viewed in sequence in order to pick out those rare bits of useful information. - 2000 January 10, Bill Pannifer, “Sore eyes”, in The Independent:
    • In the old days of steam journalism, after cleft sticks had been phased out but before the advent of e-mail, there used to be a fairly sure-fire way of getting your story to the news desk. - 2002 September 5, Alex...

Origin

From Middle English steem, stem, from Old English stēam (“steam, hot exhalation, hot breath; that which emits vapour; blood”), from Proto-Germanic *staumaz (“steam, vapour, breath”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- (“to whirl, waft, stink, shake; steam, haze, smoke”). Cognate with Scots stem, steam (“steam”), West Frisian steam (“steam, vapour”), Dutch stoom (“steam, vapour”), Low German stom (“steam”), Swedish dialectal stimma (“steam, fog”), Latin fūmus (“smoke, steam”).

Noun

  1. The hot gaseous form of water, formed when water changes from the liquid phase to the gas phase (at or above its boiling point temperature).

    Hypernyms: water vapor water compound substance

  2. The suspended condensate (cloud) formed by water vapour when it encounters colder air.

    1. Mist, fog.

    2. Exhaled breath into cold air below the dew point of the exhalation.

  3. Pressurized water vapour used for heating, cooking, or to provide mechanical energy.
  4. The act of cooking by steaming.
    • Give the carrots a ten-minute steam.
  5. Internal energy for progress or motive power.
    • After three weeks in bed he was finally able to sit up under his own steam.
    • Them that puts the most steam into it will get a finnuf slipped to 'em. - 1927, Irvin Shrewsbury Cobb, Ladies and Gentlemen, page 129:
  6. Pent-up anger.
    • Dad had to go outside to blow off some steam.
  7. A steam-powered vehicle, referring to their use.
    • Among the most modern of all the Pacific stock in Great Britain is the stud of "Merchant Navy" and "West Country" Pacifics on the Southern Region, and the rebuilding which is now being carried out, preserving all the...
    • Steam also takes charge of South Eastern (former P.L.M.) trains from Paris to Marseilles and the Riviera from Lyons onwards, and of Western Region trains from Le Mans onwards, as also between Paris and Dieppe and Le...
  8. Travel by means of a steam-powered vehicle.
  9. Any exhalation.
    • a steam of rich, distilled perfumes - 1634 October 9 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), [John Milton], edited by H[enry] Lawes, A Maske Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634: […] [Comus], London: […] [Augustine...
  10. Fencing without the use of any electric equipment.

Forms

steams

Synonyms

steamer

Antonyms

electric

Derived

aerosteam blow off one's steam blow off steam build up steam by steam double steam full steam full steam ahead gain steam gather steam head of steam in steam let off steam live steam nonsteam non-steam one engine in steam pick up steam raise steam run out of steam steam accumulator steam age steam bath steam beer

Verb

  1. To cook with steam.
    • The best way to cook artichokes is to steam them.
  2. To be cooked with steam.
    • The artichokes are steaming in the pot.
    • I'm steaming in this coat.
  3. To expose to the action of steam; to apply steam to for softening, dressing, or preparing.
    • to steam wood or cloth
  4. To raise steam, e.g. in a steam locomotive.
    • Until recently the mainstay of the line were four 2-8-2 + 2-8-2 Garratts, built for its opening. One is still steamed regularly, and there is no intention of breaking up the others, but the line has now been dieselised....
    • "We will give 198 a full exam. Then steam her, and operate her for the rest of the season. - 2023 July 12, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Saved: Trust protects Adrian Shooter's legacy”, in RAIL, number 987, page 28:
  5. To produce or vent steam.
    • See, ſee, my Brother's Ghoſt hangs hovering there, / O're his vvarm Blood, that ſteems into the Air, / Revenge, Revenge it cries. - 1665 (first performance), John Dryden, The Indian Emperour, or, The Conquest of Mexico...
    • I found that the Chapelon steamed almost too freely, because on a strange locomotive and road one usually tends to overfire a little through a natural lack of confidence. - 1961 February, 'Balmore', “Driving and firing...
  6. To rise in vapour; to issue, or pass off, as vapour.
    • Our breath steamed in the cold winter air.
    • [T]he diſſolved Amber vvas plainly diſcernable ſvvimming like a thin film upon the ſurface of the Liquor, vvhence little by little it ſteamed avvay into the air. - 1661, Robert Boyle, “[Two Essays, Concerning the...
  7. To become angry; to fume; to be incensed.
  8. To make angry.
    • It really steams me to see her treat him like that.
  9. To cover with condensed water vapor.
    • With all the heavy breathing going on the windows were quickly steamed in the car.
    • A strong sirocco was blowing the spray from the waves as far as the little café, whose glass doors were shut. The café reeked of brewing sage and human beings whose breath steamed the windows because of the cold...
  10. To travel by means of steam power.
    • We steamed around the Mediterranean.
    • The ship steamed out of the harbour.
    • “Yes, Tennington, of course,” ventured Clayton; “it must be a bully idea if you had it, but what the deuce is it? Goin’ to steam to China via the south pole?” - 1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New...
  11. To move with great or excessive purposefulness.
    • If he heard of anyone picking the fruit he would steam off and lecture them.
    • The No on 35 drive garnered the support of Black, Asian, and progressive church communities, and steamed to victory with 58 percent of the vote on Nov. 6. - 1990 December 16, Chris Nealon, “Washhington Paper Celebrates...
    • That was the hard work largely done as the Ivorian waited for Malouda to steam into the box before releasing a simple crossed pass which the Frenchman side-footed home with aplomb. - 2010 December 29, Chris Whyatt,...
  12. To exhale.
    • like inward fire that outward smoke had steemd - 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:

Forms

steams steaming steamed

Derived

asteam outsteam oversteam presteam steamable steam ahead steamer steaming steam off steam up