steam heating
Noun A system for warming a building or room in which water is boiled to produce steam, which then travels through pipes to radiators or other heat exchangers located in the spaces to be heated. The steam transfers its heat to the radiators, which then warm the surrounding air.
"Steam heating" refers specifically to the complete heating system and its method of operation. It is typically used as a non-count noun when discussing the technology or principle in general.
- The old apartment building still uses steam heating, and the pipes often clang in the morning.
- Steam heating was a major innovation in the 19th century for heating large buildings.
- The efficiency of the building's steam heating depends on the maintenance of the boiler.
- The term can function attributively as a noun modifier in compound nouns, such as "steam heating system" or "steam heating radiator," which describe components of the overall system.
- Steam heat (noun): A common shorter synonym for "steam heating."
- We turned on the steam heat as soon as the cold weather arrived.
- Radiator (noun): A key component of a steam heating system, the device that emits heat into a room.
- Boiler (noun): The vessel in which water is heated to produce steam for the system.
- Steam heat
- Vapor heating (less common, technical)
"Steam heating" describes a specific technological system. It is not typically used as a verb phrase (e.g., one does not say "to steam heat a room," though "to heat a room with steam" is possible). The focus is on the system and process, not the act of heating.
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a heating system in which steam is generated in boilers and piped to radiators
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