steam

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The vapor phase of water.
2. n. A mist of cooling water vapor.
3. n. Pressurized water vapor used for heating, cooking, or to provide mechanical power.
4. n. The power produced by a machine using pressurized water vapor.
5. n. Steam heating.
6. n. Power; energy.
7. v. To produce or emit steam.
8. v. To become or rise up as steam.
9. v. To become misted or covered with steam.
10. v. To move by means of steam power.
11. v. Informal To become very angry; fume.
12. v. To expose to steam, as in cooking.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. Vapor; a rising vapor; an exhalation.
2. n. Water in a gaseous state; the gas or vapor of water, especially at temperatures above 100° C. It has a specific gravity of 625 as compared with air under the same pressure. It liquefies at 100° C. (212° F), under a pressure of 14.7 pounds upon a square inch, or the mean pressure of the atmosphere at the sea-level. The temperature at which it liquefies diminishes with the pressure. Steam constantly rises from the surface of liquid water when not obstructed by impervious inclosures or covered by another gas already saturated with it. Its total latent heat of vaporization for 1 pound weight under a pressure of 76 centimeters of mercury (or 14.7 pounds to the square inch) is 965.7 British thermal units, or 536.5 calories for each kilogram. Its specific heat under constant pressure is 4805. (Regnault.) It is decomposed into oxygen and hvdrogen at temperatures between 1,000° and 2,000° C. (Deville.) In addition to the surface evaporation of water, the change from the liquid to the gaseous state takes place beneath the surface (the gas escaping with ebullition) whenever the temperature of the liquid is raised without a corresponding increase of pressure upon it. The temperature at which this occurs under any particular pressure is the boilingpoint for that pressure. The boiling-point of water under the atmospheric pressure at the sea-level is 100° C. or 212° F. Saturated steam has the physical properties common to all gases whose temperatures are near those of their liquefying-points, or the boiling-points of their liquids. Saturated steam when isolated, and superheated at temperatures from 100° to 110° C, and under constant pressure, expands with a given increase of temperature about five times as much as air, and at 186° C. about twice as much as air; and it must be raised to a temperature much higher than this before it will expand uniformly like air. The large quantity of latent heat in steam, its great elasticity, and the ease with which it may be condensed have rendered its use in engines more practicable than that of any other gaseous medium for the generation and application of mechanical power.
3. n. Water in a visible vesicular condition produced by the condensation of vapor of water in air.
4. n. Figuratively, force; energy.
5. n. A flame or blaze; a ray of light.
6. To give out steam or vapor; exhale any kind of fume or vapor.
7. To rise in a vaporous form; pass off in visible vapor.
8. To move or travel by the agency of steam: as, the vessel steamed into port.
9. To flame or blaze up.
10. To exhale; evaporate.
11. To treat with steam; expose to steam; apply steam to for any purpose: as, to steam cloth; to steam potatoes instead of boiling them; to steam food for cattle; steamed bread.

Wiktionary

1. n. The vapor formed when water changes from liquid phase to gas phase.
2. n. Pressurized water vapour used for heating, cooking, or to provide mechanical energy.
3. n. figuratively Internal energy for motive power.
4. n. figuratively Pent-up anger.
5. n. A steam-powered vehicle.
6. n. Travel by means of a steam-powered vehicle
7. v. cooking, transitive To cook with steam.
8. v. transitive To expose to the action of steam; to apply steam to for softening, dressing, or preparing.
9. v. intransitive To produce or vent steam.
10. v. intransitive, figuratively To become angry; to fume; to be incensed.
11. v. transitive, figuratively To make angry.
12. v. intransitive To be covered with condensed water vapor.
13. v. intransitive To travel by means of steam power.
14. v. To move with great or excessive purposefulness.
15. v. obsolete To exhale.
16. adj. Old-fashioned; from before the digital age.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The elastic, aëriform fluid into which water is converted when heated to the boiling point; water in the state of vapor.
2. n. The mist formed by condensed vapor; visible vapor; -- so called in popular usage.
3. n. Any exhalation.
4. v. To emit steam or vapor.
5. v. To rise in vapor; to issue, or pass off, as vapor.
6. v. To move or travel by the agency of steam.
7. v. To generate steam.
8. v. obsolete To exhale.
9. v. To expose to the action of steam; to apply steam to for softening, dressing, or preparing

WordNet 3.0

1. v. rise as vapor
2. v. emit steam
3. v. travel by means of steam power
4. v. get very angry
5. v. cook something by letting steam pass over it
6. v. clean by means of steaming
7. n. water at boiling temperature diffused in the atmosphere