Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

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

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

From Time Magazine Archive

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

Any angle-bar used in the construction of a keelson.

From Boys' Book of Model Boats by Raymond F. (Raymond Francis) Yates

The keelson must be cut from the same board, being three inches wide at the centre, tapering to one inch at the ends.

From Harper's Young People, April 27, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com