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keelson

American  
[kel-suhn, keel-] / ˈkɛl sən, ˈkil- /
Also kelson

noun

Nautical.
  1. any of various fore-and-aft structural members lying above or parallel to the keel in the bottom of a hull.


keelson British  
/ ˈkɛlsən, ˈkiːl- /

noun

  1. a longitudinal beam fastened to the keel of a vessel for strength and stiffness

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of keelson

1605–15; < Low German kielswin literally, “keel swine” (sense relation obscure) < Scandinavian; compare Dutch kolsvijn, Danish kølsvin, Swedish kölsvin

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Keel, keelson, longitudinals and inner and outer bottoms, were of a weight, size and thickness exceeding those of any previous ship.

From Scientific American Apr. 11, 2012

But if the French and Spanish navies were rotten to their garboard strakes, Pope makes clear that the British was rotten to its keelson.

From Time Magazine Archive

Alarm gongs clanged violently from lookout to keelson; bugles sounded to-your-stations.

From Time Magazine Archive

Take up the flooring and give the inside of your boat a couple of good coats of paint, devoting particular attention to the centreboard trunk where it joins the keelson.

From Harper's Round Table, September 3, 1895 by Various

Afore and abaft the slot the keelson members were cross-bolted and spiked.

From The Migrations of an American Boat Type by Chapelle, Howard I. (Howard Irving)

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