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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.
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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
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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