What name is given to water in the gaseous state?

What name is given to water in the gaseous state? Steam. Steam is water that has changed from a liquid into a gas after absorbing enough energy. It can form through boiling, evaporation, or the rapid release of pressure. In everyday speech, “steam” usually means hot water vapor rising from a kettle, although the visible white cloud is actually tiny liquid-water droplets that form as vapor cools and condenses in the air.

Pure water vapor is invisible, just like many other gases. Steam power became historically important during the Industrial Revolution, when steam engines converted heat into mechanical motion for factories, locomotives, ships, and pumps. A dramatic example of water’s expansion is that liquid water can occupy roughly 1,700 times more volume when converted to steam at standard pressure.

People often use “water vapor” and “steam” interchangeably. In technical contexts, water vapor is the broad term for water in the gas phase, while steam often refers to vapor produced by heating, especially in industrial systems. Steam is also central to the water cycle, as evaporation moves water from Earth’s surface into the atmosphere.