What does "keel" mean?
A large beam along the underside of a ship’s hull from bow to stern.
Keel
noun, verb
noun, verb ·1 syllable ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A large beam along the underside of a ship’s hull from bow to stern.
- Grammar: keel is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: aeroplane, airplane, argosy, ascend.
- Useful contrasts: balance, level, recover.
- Usage evidence: The godmother wished the ship at the christening, among other things: "May there always be enough water beneath your keel!"
How to use "keel"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "keel" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "keel" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "keel" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "keel" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "keel" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aeroplane" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "keel", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A large beam along the underside of a ship’s hull from bow to stern.
"I hear the noise about thy keel; I hear the bell struck in the night: I see the cabin-window bright; I see the sailor at the wheel."
- 2 A broad, flat vessel used for cooling liquids; a brewer's cooling vat; a keelfat.
- 3 Red chalk; ruddle. Scotland
- 4 one of the main longitudinal beams (or plates) of the hull of a vessel; can extend vertically into the water to provide lateral stability wordnet
- 5 A rigid, flat piece of material anchored to the lowest part of the hull of a ship to give it greater control and stability.
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 the median ridge on the breastbone of birds that fly wordnet
- 7 In a dirigible, a construction similar in form and use to a ship's keel; in an aeroplane, a fin or fixed surface employed to increase stability and to hold the machine to its course.
- 8 a projection or ridge that suggests a keel wordnet
- 9 The rigid bottom part of something else, especially an iceberg. broadly
"The most important ice features are the frequency and extent of downward projections (bummocks and ice keels) from the underside of the ice canopy (pack ice and enclosed water areas from the point of view of the submariner)[…]"
- 10 A type of flat-bottomed boat.
"The ladies remained at the house, while the men walked to the staith on the [River] Wear, and were shown the process of unloading the wagons into the keels by means of the coal-drop."
- 11 The periphery of a whorl extended to form a more or less flattened plate; a prominent spiral ridge.
"Metanotum shining, indistinctly punctured at the base in the centre, the sides closely punctured; the areola large, obliquely narrowed at the base, its apex open, there are 2 lateral areas, both widely open at the base on the outerside; the posterior median area bears about 10 stout, transverse keels; on its apical outerside is a triangular area; the spiracular is bounded on the outerside by a distinct keel."
- 12 The two lowest petals of the corolla of a papilionaceous flower, united and enclosing the stamens and pistil; a carina.
"Vegetatively it is the nearest to H. translucens with its oblong-lanceolate leaves, with the margins and keel beset with pellucid teeth, but it differs and is characterised by the greyish-black quadrantly positioned globose flowers; […]"
Verb
- 1 to collapse, to fall intransitive
"He keeled over after having a stroke."
- 2 To cool; make cool; to cool by stirring or skimming in order to keep from boiling over. obsolete, transitive
"while greasy Joan doth keel the pot (Shakespeare)"
- 3 To mark with ruddle. Scotland, transitive
- 4 Pronunciation spelling of kill. alt-of, humorous, nonstandard, pronunciation-spelling
- 5 walk as if unable to control one's movements wordnet
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 To traverse with a keel; to navigate.
- 7 To moderate the ardour or intensity of; assuage; to appease, pacify, or lessen. obsolete, transitive
- 8 To turn up the keel; to show the bottom.
- 9 To become cool; cool down. intransitive, obsolete
Example
"The godmother wished the ship at the christening, among other things: "May there always be enough water beneath your keel!""
Common questions
What is a synonym for "keel"?
Common synonyms include: aeroplane, airplane, argosy, ascend, backbone, bank.
How do you use "keel" in a sentence?
The godmother wished the ship at the christening, among other things: "May there always be enough water beneath your keel!"
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English kele, from Old Norse kjǫlr, itself from Proto-Germanic *keluz, of uncertain origin. Displaced Old English ċēol from a related root. Distantly related to kile.
Etymology 2
From Middle English kelen, from Old English cēlan (“to cool, to make or become cool”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōlijan, from Proto-Germanic *kōlijaną (“to cool”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian käile, köile (“to cool”), Dutch koelen (“to cool”), German Low German köhlen (“to cool”), German kühlen (“to cool”), Danish køle (“to cool”), Icelandic kæla (“to cool”).
Etymology 3
Probably from Scottish Gaelic cìl (“ruddle”).
Etymology 4
Compare Scots kele, keil, keill (“to put to death, kill”).