keel

Noun

1. A large beam along the underside of a ship’s hull from bow to stern.
2. A rigid, flat piece of material anchored to the lowest part of the hull of a ship to give it greater control and stability.
3. 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.
4. (broadly) The rigid bottom part of something else, especially an iceberg.
5. A type of flat-bottomed boat.
6. The periphery of a whorl extended to form a more or less flattened plate; a prominent spiral ridge.
7. The two lowest petals of the corolla of a papilionaceous flower, united and enclosing the stamens and pistil; a carina.

Verb

1. (intransitive) to collapse, to fall
2. To traverse with a keel; to navigate.
3. To turn up the keel; to show the bottom.

Verb

1. (obsolete, transitive) To cool; make cool; to cool by stirring or skimming in order to keep from boiling over.
2. (obsolete, transitive) To moderate the ardour or intensity of; assuage; to appease, pacify, or lessen.
3. (intransitive, obsolete) To become cool; cool down.

Verb

To mark with ruddle.

Verb

Pronunciation spelling of kill.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kiːl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: kele

Inherited from Middle English: kelen

Inherited from Old English: cēlan

Cognate with Saterland Frisian: käile

Cognate with Dutch: koelen

Cognate with German: kühlen

Cognate with Danish: køle

Cognate with Icelandic: kæla

Cognate with Scots: kele

In summary

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.

Synonyms

careen

stagger

swag

lurch

reel

capsize

sway

oscillate

overturn

ship

🚢

slant

slipcover

slope

stocks

stumble

teeter

tilt

tip over

topple

totter

turn over

upset

carina

turn inside out

base

keel of a boat

bilge keel

bottom

edge

flounder

incline

invert

Translations

Kiel

quilla

kiel

quille

chiglia

quilha

carène

carena

καρίνα

quilla

stępka

carina

kil

obra viva

carenare