the age of steam
/ði ˌeɪdʒ əv ˈstiːm/
/ði ˌeɪdʒ əv ˈstiːm/
- a phrase sometimes used to refer to the 18th and 19th centuries in Britain, when different types of steam engine were being invented and developed by people such as James Watt and George Stephenson. Steam engines were used as the power for factories, ships and trains. Some people in Britain feel sorry that the age of steam ended because they imagine that life was more pleasant and relaxed then.