Keel

noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 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. 2
    A broad, flat vessel used for cooling liquids; a brewer's cooling vat; a keelfat.
  3. 3
    Red chalk; ruddle. Scotland
  4. 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. 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.
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  1. 6
    the median ridge on the breastbone of birds that fly wordnet
  2. 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.
  3. 8
    a projection or ridge that suggests a keel wordnet
  4. 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)[…]"

  5. 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."

  6. 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."

  7. 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. 1
    to collapse, to fall intransitive

    "He keeled over after having a stroke."

  2. 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. 3
    To mark with ruddle. Scotland, transitive
  4. 4
    Pronunciation spelling of kill. alt-of, humorous, nonstandard, pronunciation-spelling
  5. 5
    walk as if unable to control one's movements wordnet
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  1. 6
    To traverse with a keel; to navigate.
  2. 7
    To moderate the ardour or intensity of; assuage; to appease, pacify, or lessen. obsolete, transitive
  3. 8
    To turn up the keel; to show the bottom.
  4. 9
    To become cool; cool down. intransitive, obsolete

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 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 3

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 4

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 5

Probably from Scottish Gaelic cìl (“ruddle”).

Etymology 6

Probably from Scottish Gaelic cìl (“ruddle”).

Etymology 7

Compare Scots kele, keil, keill (“to put to death, kill”).

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