Could any one tell me the term steam engine came into general usage. 
In very early litrature (1750-90) the engine was called a "fire
engine" because that was the most visiable aspect. Simple lincs will
suffice.

Hi kemlo-ga,

Here are some websites that I hope will prove useful in your search.

How steam engine work
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blenginehistory.htm#steam

Thomas Savery - The Miners Friend - Or An Engine To Raise Water By
Fire
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsavery.htm

History of steam engine
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blsteamengine.htm

Early steam engines
- 1690 - 1840 -
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/6914/

The History
of the
First Locomotives In America
http://www.history.rochester.edu/steam/brown/index.html

So the steam engine was first called a fire engine.
http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1381.htm

History of fire engine
"Alexander Bonner Latta invented the first practical fire engine, a
"steam" engine, on this date. Built and tested in Cincinnati, Ohio,
its chief feature was a boiler made of two square chambers: the inner
one, a fire-box; and the outer one, a space for water and steam."
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/time_machine/1850ce-1860ce.html

The first steam engine 1712
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/timelines/britain/stu_steam_eng.shtml

A Short History of Steam Engines 
http://www.steamboats.com/engineroom1.html

A HISTORY OF THE GROWTH OF THE STEAM-ENGINE.
http://www.history.rochester.edu/steam/thurston/1878/

The Pioneer Steam Fire-Engine
http://www.zpub.com/sf50/sf/hgoe28.htm


The history of invention
http://www.cbc4kids.cbc.ca/general/the-lab/history-of-invention/steamengine.html

steam fire-engines 
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/state/fire/51-58/ch55pt2.html

A Genuine Steam Engine
http://members.tripod.com/~american_almanac/papin.htm

FIRE ENGINE HISTORY
http://www.uk-event-safety.co.uk/history_fire.htm


Hope this helps.


Best regards,

jeanwil-ga

search words 'history of fire engine' 'history of steam engine'
'change of name from fire to steam engine'  etc

Inconclusive --But thank you for your helI 
kindest regards Kemlo

I don't think I have every heard of a steam engine being called a fire
engine.
The first steam engine invented by Thomas Newcomen and was known as an
atmospheric engine.
James Watt was the first person to call a Steam Engine a Steam Engine.

The Merriam Webster Dictionary list the first use of Steam Engine 1751
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=steam+engine

They also list the first use of Fire Engine as circa 1680, but only
list the more conventinal definition of fire engine.
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=fire+engine

Webster's Dictionary from 1821 have an entry for fire engine, but only
as a device to put out fires.
http://65.66.134.201/cgi-bin/webster/webster.exe?search_for_d:/inetpub/wwwroot/cgi-bin/webster/web1828=fire-engine

That is not to say that the fire engine was not used to describe a
steam engine.  But as it is not listed in that dictionary suggests
that if it was then it use has died out before 1821.

Hello kemlo

This sounded interesting so I thought I'd have a look too.

The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary (a hefty volume, though not the
full OED) gives the date 1722 against an entry for "fire-engine"
meaning "steam-engine", confirming your knowledge of the eighteenth
century usage.

For "steam-engine", they say 1751 is the start of its meaning of "an
engine in which the mechanical force of steam is made available as a
motive force for driving machinery". This confirms the 1751 date in
popsracer's comment.

"Steam-engine" meaning "locomotive engine" is dated to 1815.

They also say that using "engine" as a common alternative to
"steam-engine" started in 1816.

Of course the dictionary concentrates more on the first known use of a
word than  the "general usage" which you asked about, but I hope this
helps.


Leli