steam

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”).

noun

1. The vapor formed when water changes from the liquid phase to the gas phase.
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. (figurative) 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. (figurative) Pent-up anger.
   Dad had to go outside to blow off some steam.
7. A steam-powered vehicle.
8. Travel by means of a steam-powered vehicle.
9. (obsolete) Any exhalation.
10. (fencing) Fencing without the use of any electric equipment.

verb

1. (cooking, transitive) To cook with steam.
   The best way to cook artichokes is to steam them.
2. (transitive) To expose to the action of steam; to apply steam to for softening, dressing, or preparing.
   to steam wood or cloth
3. (transitive) To raise steam, e.g. in a steam locomotive.
   "We will give 198 a full exam. Then steam her, and operate her for the rest of the season. July 12 2023, Paul Clifton, “Network News: Saved: Trust protects Adrian Shooter's legacy”, in RAIL, number 987, page 28
4. (intransitive) To produce or vent steam.
   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 modern French steam locomotives - Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 110
5. (intransitive) To rise in vapour; to issue, or pass off, as vapour.
   Our breath steamed in the cold winter air.
6. (intransitive, figurative) To become angry; to fume; to be incensed.
7. (transitive, figurative) To make angry.
   It really steams me to see her treat him like that.
8. (intransitive) To be covered with condensed water vapor.
   With all the heavy breathing going on the windows were quickly steamed in the car.
9. (intransitive) To travel by means of steam power.
   We steamed around the Mediterranean.
   The ship steamed out of the harbour.
   We steamed easily across the first part of the Tay Bridge, and then after passing over the long spans in mid-stream we coasted smoothly down the 1 in 114 gradient, and around the sweeping curve through Esplanade Station. 1947 January and February, O. S. Nock, “"The Aberdonian" in Wartime”, in Railway Magazine, page 7
10. (figurative or literally) To move with great or excessive purposefulness.
    If he heard of anyone picking the fruit he would steam off and lecture them.
    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. December 29, 2010, Chris Whyatt, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC
11. (obsolete) To exhale.

adj

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" December 30 1989, “Despite the era's technological marvels, 'wireless' is still magic”, in Toronto Star
   Unlike the Web, old-fashioned steam television must be viewed in sequence in order to pick out those rare bits of useful information. January 10, 2000, 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. September 5, 2002, Alex Kirby, “Summit diary: Aftermath”, in BBC News
   Fox has been at Capital since 1988, where he lurks a little in the shadow of Chris Tarrant, the radio station's monolithic star who has helmed the plum breakfast show slot since the steam radio dawn of time. April 2, 2004, “'I'ma player. It's time to move on'”, in Telegraph.co.uk