keel
1Nautical. a central fore-and-aft structural member in the bottom of a hull, extending from the stem to the sternpost and having the floors or frames attached to it, usually at right angles: sometimes projecting from the bottom of the hull to provide stability.
Literary. a ship or boat.
a part corresponding to a ship's keel in some other structure, as in a dirigible balloon.
Keel, Astronomy. the constellation Carina.
Botany, Zoology. a longitudinal ridge, as on a leaf or bone; a carina.
Also called brace molding. Architecture. a projecting molding the profile of which consists of two ogees symmetrically disposed about an arris or fillet.
to turn or upset so as to bring the wrong side or part uppermost.
keel over,
to capsize or overturn.
to fall as in a faint: Several cadets keeled over from the heat during the parade.
Idioms about keel
Origin of keel
1Other words from keel
- keeled, adjective
Other definitions for keel (2 of 4)
the amount of coal carried by one keelboat.
a measure of coal equivalent to 21 long tons and 4 hundredweight (21.5 metric tons).
Origin of keel
2Other definitions for keel (3 of 4)
to cool, especially by stirring.
Origin of keel
3Other definitions for keel (4 of 4)
a red ocher stain used for marking sheep, lumber, etc.; ruddle.
Origin of keel
4Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use keel in a sentence
Beyond it, temple roofs—black keels of sunken vessels—cut a sky still powdered thick with stars.
The Dragon Painter | Mary McNeil FenollosaOnward of Halland west, with host aboard, and the keels thrilling.
The Sagas of Olaf Tryggvason and of Harald The Tyrant (Harald Haardraade) | Snorri SturlusonIt is the largest river in the province, and, where the road crosses, is 300 yards wide and navigable for large keels.
The Expeditions of Zebulon Montgomery Pike, Volume II (of 3) | Elliott CouesThus saying, Leif descended to the beach as the vessels approached and ran their keels straight on the sandy shores of the bay.
The Norsemen in the West | R.M. BallantyneIt was the treasure of Peru that armed the soldiers of Alva and laid the keels of the Armada.
South American Fights and Fighters | Cyrus Townsend Brady
British Dictionary definitions for keel (1 of 5)
/ (kiːl) /
one of the main longitudinal structural members of a vessel to which the frames are fastened and that may extend into the water to provide lateral stability
on an even keel well-balanced; steady
any structure corresponding to or resembling the keel of a ship, such as the central member along the bottom of an aircraft fuselage
biology a ridgelike part; carina
a poetic word for ship
to capsize
Origin of keel
1- See also keel over
Derived forms of keel
- keel-less, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for keel (2 of 5)
/ (kiːl) /
a flat-bottomed vessel, esp one used for carrying coal
a measure of coal equal to about 21 tons
Origin of keel
2British Dictionary definitions for keel (3 of 5)
/ (kiːl) /
red ochre stain used for marking sheep, timber, etc
to mark with this stain
Origin of keel
3British Dictionary definitions for keel (4 of 5)
/ (kiːl) /
an archaic word for cool
Origin of keel
4British Dictionary definitions for keel (5 of 5)
/ (kiːl) /
a fatal disease of young ducks, characterized by intestinal bleeding caused by Salmonella bacteria
Origin of keel
5Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with keel
In addition to the idiom beginning with keel
- keel over
also see:
- on an even keel
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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