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”).
Meanings
(not-comparable) Old-fashioned; from before the digital age.
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. 2004 April 2, “'I'ma player. It's time to move on'”, in Telegraph.co.uk:
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 Kirby, “Summit diary: Aftermath”, in BBC News:
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:
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 magic”, in Toronto Star:
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”).
Meanings
(uncountable, usually) 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).
(uncountable, usually) The suspended condensate (cloud) formed by water vapour when it encounters colder air. ▸ Mist, fog.
(uncountable, usually) The suspended condensate (cloud) formed by water vapour when it encounters colder air. ▸ Exhaled breath into cold air below the dew point of the exhalation.
(uncountable, usually) Pressurized water vapour used for heating, cooking, or to provide mechanical energy.
(uncountable, usually) The act of cooking by steaming.
Give the carrots a ten-minute steam.
(figuratively, uncountable, usually) Internal energy for progress or motive power.
run out of 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:
After three weeks in bed he was finally able to sit up under his own steam.
(uncountable, usually) 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 best features of the Bulleid designs—such as the free-steaming boiler—and jettisoning the features that have given trouble, in particular the chain-driven valve-motion, should give the Southern a supply of highly-competent machines able to last out the remaining life of steam on the S.R. 1957 July 14, Cecil J. Allen, “British Locomotive Practice and Performance”, in Railway Magazine, page 496:
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 Havre. 1958 July 14, 'Voyageur', “Modern French Locomotive Work—1”, in Railway Magazine, page 455:
(uncountable, usually) Travel by means of a steam-powered vehicle.
(obsolete, uncountable, usually) 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 Matthews] for Hvmphrey Robinson, […], published 1637, →OCLC; reprinted as Comus: […] (Dodd, Mead & Company’s Facsimile Reprints of Rare Books; Literature Series; no. I), New York, N.Y.: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1903, →OCLC:
(uncountable, usually) Fencing without the use of any electric equipment.
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”).
Meanings
(transitive) To cook with steam.
The best way to cook artichokes is to steam them.
(figuratively, intransitive, qualifier:literal) To be cooked with steam.
The artichokes are steaming in the pot.
I'm steaming in this coat.
(transitive) To expose to the action of steam; to apply steam to for softening, dressing, or preparing.
to steam wood or cloth
(transitive) 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. 1960 April 14, H. P. White, “The Railways of Sierra Leone”, in Railway Magazine, page 284:
"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:
(intransitive) 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 by the Spaniards. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman […], published 1667, →OCLC, Act III, scene iii, page 36:
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:
(intransitive) To rise in vapour; to issue, or pass off, as vapour.
[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 Unsuccessfulness of Experiments, Containing Divers Admonitions and Observations (Chiefly Chymical) Touching that Subject.] The First Essay, of the Unsuccessfulness of Experiments.”, in Certain Physiological Essays and Other Tracts; […], 2nd edition, London: […] Henry Herringman […], published 1669, →OCLC, page 66:
Our breath steamed in the cold winter air.
(figuratively, intransitive) To become angry; to fume; to be incensed.
(figuratively, transitive) To make angry.
It really steams me to see her treat him like that.
(transitive) 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 outside. 1952, Nikos Kazantzakis, chapter 1, in Carl Wildman, transl., Zorba the Greek, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, translation of Βίος και πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά [Víos kai politeía tou Aléxi Zormpá], →ISBN, page 3:
(intransitive) To travel by means of steam power.
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:
We steamed around the Mediterranean.
“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 York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 112:
(figuratively, literally) 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 Les/Gay Unions”, in Gay Community News, volume 18, number 22, page 6:
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, “Chelsea 1 - 0 Bolton”, in BBC:
(obsolete) 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:
mr वाफ निघणे (to produce or vent steam) · da dampe (to produce or vent steam) · hu gőzölög (to produce or vent steam) · yue 蒸 (cooking: to cook with steam) · sv ånga (to produce or vent steam) · sv imma igen (to be covered with condensed water vapor) · tr buğulamak (cooking: to cook with steam) · chr ᎠᏔᏃᎴᎦ (to produce or vent steam) · gl abafar (cooking: to cook with steam) · es vaporear (cooking: to cook with steam) · ka დაიორთქლება (to be covered with condensed water vapor) · mn уураар чанах (cooking: to cook with steam) · ro aburi (to produce or vent steam) · fi huurtua (to be covered with condensed water vapor) · ja 湯気が立つ (to become angry) · th นึ่ง (cooking: to cook with steam) · yue 清蒸 (cooking: to cook with steam) · es vaporar (cooking: to cook with steam) · de dünsten (cooking: to cook with steam) · sv ånga (to travel by means of steam power) · fi höyryttyä (to be covered with condensed water vapor) · fr cuisiner à la vapeur (cooking: to cook with steam) · ja 蒸す (cooking: to cook with steam) · hu pöfög (to travel by means of steam power) · pt cozer/cozinhar no vapor (cooking: to cook with steam) · ro fierbe la aburi (cooking: to cook with steam) · mn уур гаргах (to produce or vent steam) · ro fierbe în aburi (cooking: to cook with steam) · nrf tchuithe à l'ieau (cooking: to cook with steam) · lad abafar (cooking: to cook with steam) · pl parować (to produce or vent steam) · gl empanar (to be covered with condensed water vapor) · fi höyryttää (cooking: to cook with steam) · cs dusit (cooking: to cook with steam) · lad enhaminar (cooking: to cook with steam) · de dämpfen (cooking: to cook with steam) · cy stemio (cooking: to cook with steam) · gl fumegar (to produce or vent steam) · fi höyrytä (to produce or vent steam) · lv sutināt (cooking: to cook with steam) · fi hiiltyä (to become angry) · gl embazar (to be covered with condensed water vapor) · ro aburi (cooking: to cook with steam) · ro aburi (to be covered with condensed water vapor) · zh 清蒸 (cooking: to cook with steam) · hu párol (cooking: to cook with steam) · as ভাপত দে (cooking: to cook with steam) · ms kukus (cooking: to cook with steam) · mr वाफेवर शिजवणे (cooking: to cook with steam) · tr buharda pişirmek (cooking: to cook with steam) · la vapōrō (to produce or vent steam) · mi whakamamaoa (cooking: to cook with steam) · ja 頭に血が上る (to become angry) · es cocinar al vapor (cooking: to cook with steam) · hu dinsztel (cooking: to cook with steam) · gl abafar (to be covered with condensed water vapor) · bg запарвам (cooking: to cook with steam) · hu gőzöl (cooking: to cook with steam) · es cocer al vapor (cooking: to cook with steam) · nl stomen (cooking: to cook with steam) · mn жигнэх (cooking: to cook with steam) · sv ångkoka (cooking: to cook with steam) · ro fumega (to produce or vent steam) · haw hoʻomāhu (cooking: to cook with steam) · fi höyrytä (to travel by means of steam power) · ja 曇らせる (to be covered with condensed water vapor) · fi rynnätä (to move with great or excessive purposefulness) · ka იორთქლება (to be covered with condensed water vapor) · da dampe (cooking: to cook with steam) · vi hấp (cooking: to cook with steam)