asteam

English

Etymology

From a- +‎ steam.

Adjective

asteam (not comparable)

1. Giving off steam, water vapour or smoke.

   Synonym: steaming

   • 1845, Hugh Miller, cited in Thomas Brown (ed.), Annals of the Disruption, Edinburgh: MacLaren & MacNiven, 1877, Part 2, p. 37,^[1]

     The rude turf building we found full from end to end, and all asteam with a particularly wet congregation, some of whom […] had travelled in the soaking drizzle from the further extremities of the island.

   • 1906, Oliver Onions, “Back o’ the Moon” in Back o’ the Moon and Other Stories, London: Hurst and Blackett, Chapter 17, p. 238,^[2]

     The fire burned here and there for a fortnight, and then there came a light shower or two that set the hills a-steam with opaque white smoke.

   • 1988, Tristan Jones, Somewheres East of Suez‎^[3], Dobbs Ferry, NY: Sheridan House, published 1999, Part 3, Chapter 17, p. 227:

     In the parcels office there were small cooking stoves, asteam with the aroma of boiling rice, set on the desks among the glue pots and brown paper, cardboard boxes of opened parcels.

2. Covered with condensation.

   Synonym: fogged up

   • 1965, Stanton Forbes, chapter 2, in Relative to Death‎^[4], Garden City, NY: Doubleday, page 27:

     Sara, her eyeglasses asteam, was stirring a big pot of quahog chowder.

   • 1987, Mitch Berman, Time Capsule‎^[5], New York: Putnam, Part 1, Chapter 12, p. 73:

     “Go ahead!” he screamed, his glasses asteam and opaque. “We can’t read it anyway! Go ahead! Rain on it!”

Anagrams

• A teams, A-teams, amates, sea mat, semata