GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

last match results

Found 4 definitions

1.       
   Keel (kēl), v. t. & i. [AS. cēlan to cool, fr. cōl cool. See Cool.] To cool; to skim or stir. [Obs.]
   
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   While greasy Joan doth keel the pot. Shak.
   
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2.       
   Keel, n. A brewer's cooling vat; a keelfat.
   
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3.       
   Keel, n. [Cf. AS. ceól ship; akin to D. & G. kiel keel, OHG. chiol ship, Icel. kjōll, and perh. to Gr. γαῦλος a round-built Phœnician merchant vessel, γαυλός bucket; cf. Skr. gōla ball, round water vessel. But the meaning of the English word seems to come from Icel. kjölr keel, akin to Sw. köl, Dan. kjöl.]
   1. (Shipbuilding) A longitudinal timber, or series of timbers scarfed together, extending from stem to stern along the bottom of a vessel. It is the principal timber of the vessel, and, by means of the ribs attached on each side, supports the vessel's frame. In an iron vessel, a combination of plates supplies the place of the keel of a wooden ship. See Illust. of Keelson.
   
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   2. Fig.: The whole ship.
   
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   3. A barge or lighter, used on the Tyne for carrying coal from Newcastle; also, a barge load of coal, twenty-one tons, four cwt. [Eng.]
   
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   4. (Bot.) The two lowest petals of the corolla of a papilionaceous flower, united and inclosing the stamens and pistil; a carina. See Carina.
   
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   5. (Nat. Hist.) A projecting ridge along the middle of a flat or curved surface.
   
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   6. (Aeronautics) In a dirigible, a construction similar in form and use to a ship's keel; in an aëroplane, a fin or fixed surface employed to increase stability and to hold the machine to its course.
   
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   Bilge keel (Naut.), a keel peculiar to ironclad vessels, extending only a portion of the length of the vessel under the bilges. Ham. Nav. Encyc. -- False keel. See under False. -- Keel boat. (a) A covered freight boat, with a keel, but no sails, used on Western rivers. [U. S.] (b) A low, flat-bottomed freight boat. See Keel, n., 3. -- Keel piece, one of the timbers or sections of which a keel is composed. -- On even keel, in a level or horizontal position, so that the draught of water at the stern and the bow is the same. Ham. Nav. Encyc. -- On an even keel a. & adv., steady; balanced; steadily.
   
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4.       
   Keel, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Keeled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Keeling.]
   1. To traverse with a keel; to navigate.
   
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   2. To turn up the keel; to show the bottom.
   
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   To keel over, to upset; to capsize. [Colloq.]
   
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