keel

¹

[ keel ]

noun

1. Nautical. 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.
2. Literary. a ship or boat.
3. a part corresponding to a ship's keel in some other structure, as in a dirigible balloon.
4. Keel, Astronomy. the constellation Carina.
5. Botany, Zoology. a longitudinal ridge, as on a leaf or bone; a carina.
6. Also called brace mold·ing [breys, mohl-ding]. Architecture. a projecting molding the profile of which consists of two ogees symmetrically disposed about an arris or fillet.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to turn or upset so as to bring the wrong side or part uppermost.

verb phrase

1. 1. to capsize or overturn.
   2. to fall as in a faint:

      Several cadets keeled over from the heat during the parade.

keel

²

[ keel ]

noun

, British Dialect.

1. keelboat.
2. the amount of coal carried by one keelboat.
3. a measure of coal equivalent to 21 long tons and 4 hundredweight (21.5 metric tons).

keel

³

[ keel ]

verb (used with object)

, British Dialect.

1. to cool, especially by stirring.

keel

⁴

[ keel ]

noun

1. a red ocher stain used for marking sheep, lumber, etc.; ruddle.

keel

¹

/ kiːl /

noun

1. a flat-bottomed vessel, esp one used for carrying coal
2. a measure of coal equal to about 21 tons

keel

²

/ kiːl /

verb

1. an archaic word for cool

keel

³

/ kiːl /

noun

1. 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
2. on an even keel
   well-balanced; steady
3. any structure corresponding to or resembling the keel of a ship, such as the central member along the bottom of an aircraft fuselage
4. biology a ridgelike part; carina
5. a poetic word for ship

verb

1. to capsize

keel

⁴

/ kiːl /

noun

1. a fatal disease of young ducks, characterized by intestinal bleeding caused by Salmonella bacteria

keel

⁵

/ kiːl /

noun

1. red ochre stain used for marking sheep, timber, etc

verb

1. to mark with this stain

Derived Forms

• ˈkeel-less, adjective

Other Words From

• keeled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of keel¹

First recorded in 1325–75; 1895–1900 keel ¹fordef 8; Middle English kele, from Old Norse kjǫlr; cognate with Old English cēol “keel, ship”; keel ²

Origin of keel²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English kele, from Middle Dutch kiel “ship”; cognate with Old English cēol “ship,” German kiel “ship” (obsolete); keel ¹

Origin of keel³

First recorded before 900; Middle English kelen, Old English cēlan “to be cool”; akin to cool

Origin of keel⁴

First recorded in 1475–85; earlier keyle (north and Scots dialect); compare Scots Gaelic cìl (itself perhaps from English )

Word History and Origins

Origin of keel¹

C14 kele, from Middle Dutch kiel; compare Old English cēol ship

Origin of keel²

C15: probably from Scottish Gaelic cīl

Origin of keel³

C14: from Old Norse kjölr; related to Middle Dutch kiel, keel ²

Origin of keel⁴

C19: from keel ¹; see keel over

Origin of keel⁵

Old English cēlan, from cōl cool

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. on an even keel, in a state of balance; steady; steadily:

   The affairs of state are seldom on an even keel for long.

More idioms and phrases containing keel

In addition to the idiom beginning with keel , also see on an even keel .

Example Sentences

The curragh has no keel, and a sneeze is rightly believed to be fatal to its equilibrium, but an old Aran woman and an Aran gander can rush in where Sir Isaac Newton might fear to tread.

From The Daily Beast

You have to understand and bounce back from those challenges and stay pretty even keel by using your energy to have resilience.

From Time

Melfi is the even keel to Tony’s volatility — a thoughtful, occasionally horrified audience surrogate.

From Washington Post

They sense that their ship of state is no longer on an even keel.

From The Daily Beast

But, as the keel of the boats touched bottom, each boat-load dashed into the water and then into the enemy's fire.

From Project Gutenberg

Robert was out there under the shed, reclining in the shade against the sloping keel of the overturned boat.

From Project Gutenberg

To maintain the vessel on an even keel he introduced four vanes, called “hydroplanes,” for regulating the depth of descent.

From Project Gutenberg

The tip often forms an abrupt angle with the shaft and there is a keel on the dorsal surface of the tip (see figs. 5, 6).

From Project Gutenberg

Microscopic examination reveals that there is a faint keel on the dorsal surface of the tip.

From Project Gutenberg