steam devil

noun

A spiraling wind caused by rising thermals off a warm body of water's surface that has been enveloped by a layer of very cold air, which also causes the humidity in the thermal to turn to mist, highlighting the whirl of the column. The equivalent of a dustdevil over water.

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Meanings

nounsteam devil (plural steam devils)

plural steam devils · alternative steamdevil · alternative steam-devil

  1. A spiraling wind caused by rising thermals off a warm body of water's surface that has been enveloped by a layer of very cold air, which also causes the humidity in the thermal to turn to mist, highlighting the whirl of the column. The equivalent of a dustdevil over water.

Origin

From steam + devil. From being a whirlwind (“devil”) formed from mist (“steam”). Patterned after dust devil.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

steam devil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/steam%20devil

MLA

“steam devil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/steam%20devil. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “steam devil,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/steam%20devil.

Source: steam devil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.