steam pipe
3
3.9
- noun
- Specialized
:
tubería de vapor
- All hubbub abruptly stops and the sounds of heavy machinery, hissing steam pipes, and generators wind down to leave total silence.
- steam pipe explosion
- steam pipe burst
Examples
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If the shaft goes too fast, right, then the steam pipe will be constricted, less steam will go to the steam engine, and the shaft will slow down.
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That's access to the steam pipes.
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They hit a steam pipe and got scalded.
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Engineers are using penetrating gamma rays to examine power plant steam pipes for signs of erosion, corrosion, and weld flaws.
Academic text (1994) -
The old building's heating system relies on large steam pipes running through the walls.
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After the repairs, the steam pipes resumed their function of distributing heated steam throughout the facility.
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Maintenance workers carefully inspected the steam pipes to ensure there were no leaks before the winter season.
Synonyms
344
1.0
A long hollow tube that carries water, gas, or oil
106
3.7
A long pipe that carries oil or gas across land
11
2.8
Long metal or plastic tubes that carry water, oil and gas
1
3.9
A pipe that carries steam to heaters or machines
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a pipe designed to convey steam' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'steam' (vaporized water) with 'pipe' (a tubular conduit). This noun-noun compound follows regular compositional patterns common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Steam pipe comes from old factories where a hot boiler sent steam through a metal pipe to run machines or heat rooms, a simple picture that links the two words. That's why it now means 'a pipe that carries steam'.