steam shovel

English

A steam shovel at work in a limestone quarry, probably in Washington, ca 1911

Noun

steam shovel (plural steam shovels)

1. An excavating machine designed to effect a shovelling action through steam power.
2. Any excavating machine of similar design, no matter how powered.

   Synonym: power shovel

Usage notes

Steam-powered shovels went out of use many years ago, being replaced by other machinery such as diesel-powered shovels and excavators.

Related terms

Related terms

• excavator
• steam power
• steam engine
• steam tractor
• steam locomotive
• steam roller

References

• steam shovel on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “steam shovel”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “steam shovel”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.