keel1

[keel] /kil/
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.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Carina.
5.
Botany, Zoology. a longitudinal ridge, as on a leaf or bone; a carina.
6.
Also called brace molding. Architecture. a projecting molding the profile of which consists of two ogees symmetrically disposed about an arris or fillet.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
7.
to turn or upset so as to bring the wrong side or part uppermost.
Verb phrases
8.
keel over,
  1. to capsize or overturn.
  2. to fall as in a faint:
    Several cadets keeled over from the heat during the parade.
Idioms
9.
on an even keel, in a state of balance; steady; steadily:
The affairs of state are seldom on an even keel for long.
Origin
1325-75; 1895-1900 for def 8; Middle English kele < Old Norse kjǫlr; cognate with Old English cēol keel, ship; see keel2
Related forms
keeled, adjective

keel2

[keel] /kil/
noun, British Dialect
1.
keelboat.
2.
a keelboat load of coal; 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).
Origin
1375-1425; late Middle English kele < Middle Dutch kiel ship; cognate with Old English cēol ship, German kiel ship (obsolete), keel1

keel3

[keel] /kil/
verb (used with object), British Dialect
1.
to cool, especially by stirring.
Origin
before 900; Middle English kelen, Old English cēlan to be cool; akin to cool

keel4

[keel] /kil/
noun
1.
a red ocher stain used for marking sheep, lumber, etc.; ruddle.
Origin
1475-85; earlier keyle (north and Scots dial.); compare Scots Gaelic cìl (itself perhaps < E)
Examples from the web for keel
  • Designed to keep the yacht stable and upright under sail, the keel takes the place of crew members sitting on the windward rail.
  • He said the boat's hull was too thin and the backing plate that attaches the keel to the hull was too narrow.
  • They need to run bigger budget surpluses to put their finances on an even keel.
  • On solid ground, the wings would swing into clamshell compartments, protected by a steel keel.
  • The container either holed the hull or separated the keel from the hull and the boat sank.
  • The appendage, which had loosened inside its keel trunk, caused a leak that nearly sank the boat.
  • But here's a tip that might help you maintain an even keel as you navigate your way through later chapters.
  • Migrant labour helps to keep economies on an even keel.
  • The first sector to keel over was residential construction, as demand for new homes dried up.
  • But now a new production boat for recreational sailors using the same kind of keel mechanism is about to be launched.
British Dictionary definitions for keel

keel1

/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
6.
to capsize
See also keel over
Derived Forms
keel-less, adjective
Word Origin
C14: from Old Norse kjölr; related to Middle Dutch kiel,keel²

keel2

/kiːl/
noun (Eastern Brit, dialect)
1.
a flat-bottomed vessel, esp one used for carrying coal
2.
a measure of coal equal to about 21 tons
Word Origin
C14 kele, from Middle Dutch kiel; compare Old English cēol ship

keel3

/kiːl/
noun
1.
red ochre stain used for marking sheep, timber, etc
verb (transitive)
2.
to mark with this stain
Word Origin
Old English cēlan, from cōlcool

keel4

/kiːl/
verb
1.
an archaic word for cool
Word Origin
C15: probably from Scottish Gaelic cīl

keel5

/kiːl/
noun
1.
a fatal disease of young ducks, characterized by intestinal bleeding caused by Salmonella bacteria
Word Origin
C19: from keel1; see keel over
Word Origin and History for keel
n.

"lowest timber of a ship or boat," mid-14c., probably from a Scandinavian source, cf. Old Norse kjölr "keel," Danish kjøl, Swedish köl, from Proto-Germanic *keluz, of uncertain origin. Some etymologists say this is unconnected with the keel that means "a ship, barge," which also is the root of Middle Dutch kiel "ship," Old English ceol "ship's prow," Old High German kiel, German Kiel "ship," but the two words have influenced each other. Barnhart, however, calls them cognates. This other word is said to be from Proto-Germanic *keula, from PIE *geul- "rounded vessel." Keel still is used locally in England and U.S. for "flat-bottomed boat," especially on the Tyne.

v.

1838, American English, from keel (n.). To keel over (1876) is from the nautical image of a ship turning keel-up. Related: Keeled; keeling.

"to keep cool," from Middle English kelen, from Old English celan "to cool," from col "cool" (see cool). The form kele (from Old English colian) was used by Shakespeare, but it later was assimilated with the adjective form into the modern verb cool. Cognate with Dutch koelen, Old High German chuolen, German kühlen.

Idioms and Phrases with keel

keel

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