steam
Forms
- Plural
- steams
- present (v1)
- steam
- past (v2)
- steamed
- past participle (v3)
- steamed
- present participle
- steaming
- 3rd person singular
- steams
Definitions
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.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.
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.
4.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.
- 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.
Frequency
Overall
Rare· #4444
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Rare
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
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”).