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keel

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
keel 1  (kl)
n.
1. Nautical
a. The principal structural member of a ship, running lengthwise along the center line from bow to stern, to which the frames are attached.
b. A ship.
2. A structure, such as the breastbone of a bird, that resembles a ship's keel in function or shape.
3. The principal structural member of an aircraft, resembling a ship's keel in shape and function.
4. A pair of united petals in certain flowers, as those of the pea.
intr. & tr.v. keeled, keel·ing, keels Nautical
To capsize or cause to capsize.
Phrasal Verb:
keel over
To collapse or fall into or as if into a faint.

[Middle English kele, from Old Norse kjölr.]

keel 2  (kl)
n.
1. Nautical
a. A freight barge, especially one for carrying coal on the Tyne River in England.
b. The load capacity of this barge.
2. A British unit of weight formerly used for coal, equal to about 21.2 long tons.

[Middle English kele, from Middle Dutch kiel.]

keel
Noun
1. one of the main lengthways steel or timber pieces along the base of a ship, to which the frames are fastened
2. on an even keel working or progressing smoothly without any sudden changes [Old Norse kjölr]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.keel - a projection or ridge that suggests a keel
projection - any solid convex shape that juts out from something
2.keel - the median ridge on the breastbone of birds that fly
carinate, carinate bird, flying bird - birds having keeled breastbones for attachment of flight muscles
carina - any of various keel-shaped structures or ridges such as that on the breastbone of a bird or that formed by the fused petals of a pea blossom
3.keel - one of the main longitudinal beams (or plates) of the hull of a vessel; can extend vertically into the water to provide lateral stability
beam - long thick piece of wood or metal or concrete, etc., used in construction
bilge keel - either of two lengthwise fins attached along the outside of a ship's bilge; reduces rolling
fin keel - a metal plate projecting from the keel of a shallow vessel to give it greater lateral stability
hull - the frame or body of ship
Verb1.keel - walk as if unable to control one's movements; "The drunken man staggered into the room"
walk - use one's feet to advance; advance by steps; "Walk, don't run!"; "We walked instead of driving"; "She walks with a slight limp"; "The patient cannot walk yet"; "Walk over to the cabinet"
Translations
Spanish keel [kiːl] nquilla;
on an even keel (fig) → en equilibrio
keel over vi (NAUT) → zozobrar, volcarse; [person] → desplomarse

French keel [kiːl] nquille f;
on an even keel (fig) → à flot
keel over vi (Naut) → chavirer, dessaler; [person] → tomber dans les pommes

German keel [kiːl] nKiel m;
on an even keel (fig) → stabil
keel over keel vikentern;
(person) → umkippen

Italian keel [kiːl] nchiglia;
on an even keel (fig) → in uno stato normale
keel over vi (NAUT) → capovolgersi; [person] → crollare

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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
So close did the monster come to the hull, that at first it seemed as if he meant it malice; but suddenly going down in a maelstrom, within three rods of the planks, he wholly disappeared from view, as if diving under the keel.
It stood in a small side room which looked out across a narrow grass plot toward the shed, where there was a disabled boat lying keel upward.
Borckman and the black steersman echoed his words, and, as the wheel spun down, the Arangi, with the swiftness of a witch, rounded into the wind and attained a momentary even keel to the flapping of her headsails and a shifting of headsheets.
 
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