Keel
[kiːl] or [kil]
Definition
(noun.) one of the main longitudinal beams (or plates) of the hull of a vessel; can extend vertically into the water to provide lateral stability.
(noun.) the median ridge on the breastbone of birds that fly.
(noun.) a projection or ridge that suggests a keel.
Typist: Norton--From WordNet
Definition
(v. t. & i.) To cool; to skim or stir.
(n.) A brewer's cooling vat; a keelfat.
(n.) 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.
(n.) Fig.: The whole ship.
(n.) A barge or lighter, used on the Type for carrying coal from Newcastle; also, a barge load of coal, twenty-one tons, four cwt.
(n.) The two lowest petals of the corolla of a papilionaceous flower, united and inclosing the stamens and pistil; a carina. See Carina.
(n.) A projecting ridge along the middle of a flat or curved surface.
(v. i.) To traverse with a keel; to navigate.
(v. i.) To turn up the keel; to show the bottom.
Checked by Brits
Definition
n. (Scot.) red chalk ruddle.—v.t. to mark with ruddle.
n. the part of a ship extending along the bottom from stem to stern and supporting the whole frame: a low flat-bottomed boat: a Tyne coal-barge: a ship generally: (bot.) the lowest petals of the corolla of a papilionaceous flower.—v.t. or v.i. to plough with a keel to navigate: to turn keel upwards.—n. Keel′age dues for a keel or ship in port.—adj. Keeled (bot.) keel-shaped: having a prominence on the back.—ns. Keel′er Keel′man one who works on a barge.—v.t. Keel′haul to punish by hauling under the keel of a ship by ropes from the one side to the other: to treat a subordinate in a galling manner.
v.t. (Shak.) to cool.
Typist: Vern
Examples
- If we are high enough our keel plates will protect us from rifle fire. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- He told me that he believed himself to have gone under the keel of the steamer, and to have been struck on the head in rising. Charles Dickens. Great Expectations.
- She had drifted somewhat under the keel of the vessel, and her being out of sight occasioned the delay in finding her. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- But their breastbone has no keel such as the breastbone of a bird has for the attachment of muscles strong enough for long-sustained flying. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- He came aboard with a black coat, and his papers right, and money enough in his box to buy the thing right up from keel to main-truck. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.
- We were not used to dancing on an even keel, though, and it was only a questionable success. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- A few larger ones there were, but these kept high aloft dropping bombs upon the temples from their keel batteries. Edgar Rice Burroughs. The Gods of Mars.
- His luck's got fouled under the keels of the barges. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- For the safety and comfort of passengers, the great length reduces the pitching, bilge keels prevent rolling, and the Schlick system of cranks neutralizes vibration in the engine. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- On the Keeling or Cocos Islands the chief vegetable production is the cocoanut. Walter Libby. An Introduction to the History of Science.
Checked by Leroy