Ineconomy

The sources of ineconomy in steam engines may broadly be classed under the two heads: failure to obtain indicated work from the energy of the steam, and dissipation of the indicated work in overcoming engine friction.

[T]he mouth of the salt-water creek was usually surging like a mill-race, but wasting its power—or so it had been—on transporting such things as jellyfish, leaves, and crocodiles. This waste had been the cause of great irritation to Mark, who, though careless of most forms of ineconomy, could not bear to see the wasting of natural force.