Dictionary.com
definitions

live steam

[lahyv]
noun
  1. steam direct from the boiler and at full pressure, ready for use in work.
  2. steam that has performed no work or only part of its work.

Origin of live steam

An Americanism dating back to 1870–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for live steam

Historical Examples of live steam

  • He peeled off the helmet and unzipped the suit which was reaching the thermal levels of a live-steam bath.

    Master of the Moondog

    Stanley Mullen

British Dictionary definitions for live steam

live steam

noun
  1. steam supplied directly from a boiler at full pressure, before it has performed any work
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012