English Explanatory Dictionary

steam

English dictionary entry

Meanings

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).
  2. The suspended condensate (cloud) formed by water vapour when it encounters colder air.
  3. Mist, fog.
  4. Exhaled breath into cold air below the dew point of the exhalation.
  5. Pressurized water vapour used for heating, cooking, or to provide mechanical energy.
  6. The act of cooking by steaming.
  7. Internal energy for progress or motive power.
  8. Pent-up anger.
  9. A steam-powered vehicle, referring to their use.
  10. Travel by means of a steam-powered vehicle.
  11. Any exhalation.
  12. Fencing without the use of any electric equipment.
verb
  1. To cook with steam.
  2. To be cooked with steam.
  3. To expose to the action of steam; to apply steam to for softening, dressing, or preparing.
  4. To raise steam, e.g. in a steam locomotive.
  5. To produce or vent steam.
  6. To rise in vapour; to issue, or pass off, as vapour.
  7. To become angry; to fume; to be incensed.
  8. To make angry.
  9. To cover with condensed water vapor.
  10. To travel by means of steam power.
  11. To move with great or excessive purposefulness.
  12. To exhale.
adj
  1. Old-fashioned; from before the digital age.
noun
  1. Initialism of serial time-encoded amplified microscopy.
  2. Abbreviation of science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics, a grouping of several fields of education.

Pronunciation

stēm /stiːm/ En-us-steam.ogg

Word forms

steam steams steaming steamed

Etymology

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”).

Synonyms

steamer

Antonyms

electric

Related words

STEM STEMM

Derived words

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 steamboat steam-boat steam boiler steam car steam carriage steam chest steam coal steam condenser steam cooker steam-crack steam-cracked steam cracker steam cracking steam crane steam devil steam digester steam distillation steam dome steam donkey steam drier steam drum steam engine steam fair steam festival steamfitter steamfitting steam fog steam generator steam gun steam hammer steam-hauled steam-heat steam heater steam heating steamie steam iron
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