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keel
1[ keel ]
noun
- 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.
- 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 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)
- to turn or upset so as to bring the wrong side or part uppermost.
verb phrase
- to capsize or overturn.
- to fall as in a faint:
Several cadets keeled over from the heat during the parade.
keel
2[ keel ]
noun
- the amount of coal carried by one keelboat.
- a measure of coal equivalent to 21 long tons and 4 hundredweight (21.5 metric tons).
keel
3[ keel ]
verb (used with object)
- to cool, especially by stirring.
keel
4[ keel ]
noun
- a red ocher stain used for marking sheep, lumber, etc.; ruddle.
keel
1/ kiːl /
noun
- a flat-bottomed vessel, esp one used for carrying coal
- a measure of coal equal to about 21 tons
keel
2/ kiːl /
verb
- an archaic word for cool
keel
3/ kiːl /
noun
- 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 keelwell-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
verb
- to capsize
keel
4/ kiːl /
noun
- a fatal disease of young ducks, characterized by intestinal bleeding caused by Salmonella bacteria
keel
5/ kiːl /
noun
- red ochre stain used for marking sheep, timber, etc
verb
- to mark with this stain
Derived Forms
- ˈkeel-less, adjective
Other Words From
- keeled adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of keel1
Origin of keel2
Origin of keel3
Origin of keel4
Word History and Origins
Origin of keel1
Origin of keel2
Origin of keel3
Origin of keel4
Origin of keel5
Idioms and Phrases
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
You have to do comparisons and say, ‘I need more space to sing so I don’t just keel over.’
“I’m paying through the nose. Every day, I’m seeing another bill, and I’m about to keel over.”
All throughout, he’d kept an even keel, making no promises other than to assure his team would come prepared Sunday.
The keel is a large, fin-like part of the boat that protrudes from its base.
When he came to power, Mr Biden wanted to set ties with China on an even keel after what he saw as the chaos and unpredictability of the Trump White House.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from 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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