skeg

[ skeg ]

/ skɛg /

noun Nautical.

a projection supporting a rudder at its lower end, located abaft a sternpost or rudderpost.

an extension of the keel of a small craft, designed to improve steering.

Nearby words

skeeter, skeeter hawk, skeeve, skeevy, skeezy, skeg, skeif, skeigh, skein, skeletal, skeletal extension

Origin of skeg

1590–1600; < Dutch scheg cutwater < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse skegg projection on the stern of a boat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for skeg

The surface vessel has a propeller in her skeg operating athwartship in addition to the usual stem propeller.
The Submarine in War and Peace|Simon Lake
Skeg, skeg, n. a stump, branch: the after-part of a ship's keel.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
The other end of the propeller-shaft rests in the skeg bearing.
Boys' Book of Model Boats|Raymond Francis Yates
The end of the propeller also revolves adjacent to the bearing in the skeg.
Boys' Book of Model Boats|Raymond Francis Yates

British Dictionary definitions for skeg

skeg

/ (skɛɡ) /

noun nautical

a reinforcing brace between the after end of a keel and the rudderpost

a support at the bottom of a rudder

a projection from the forefoot of a vessel for towing paravanes

any short keel-like projection at the stern of a boat

Australian a rear fin on the underside of a surfboard

Word Origin for skeg

C16: of Scandinavian origin; compare Icelandic skegg cutwater

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