Keel Meaning
/kiːl/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA large beam along the underside of a ship’s hull from bow to stern.
nounA rigid, flat piece of material anchored to the lowest part of the hull of a ship to give it greater control and stability.
Sentence Examples
I’m afraid she’ll keel over before she succeeds.
Does a long, shallow keel help?
CEFR Practice Quiz
The long, flat structure at the bottom of a sailboat is called the ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of the boat was damaged when it hit a large rock that was hidden just below the water's surface.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto X”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC:
"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)[…]"
— 1975, Nathaniel Bowditch, American Practical Navigator: An Epitome of Navigation, page 834:
"Bill Roggensack, EBA Engineering Ltd.: So at the end of this particular simulation, presumably the keel of the iceberg is in contact with the seabed? / Chris Woodworth-Lynas: It is just in contact with the seabed."
— 1986, Environmental Studies Revolving Funds (Canada); C. F. M. Lewis; Federal Panel on Energy Research and Development (Canada); Gulf Canada Resources Inc; Ice Scour Workshop (1985 : Calgary, Alta.), Ice Scour and Seabed Engineering: Proceedings of a Workshop on Ice Scour Research:
"Would he be able to break through the surface ice or would they ram into an ice keel extending down from the bottom of the ice pack that would rip their craft open like a mere sardine can?"
— 2021 September 30, Kenneth Andrus, Arctic Menace, Babylon Books, →ISBN:
"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."
— 1948 January and February, “Notes and News: Duke of Wellington's Early Railway Journey”, in Railway Magazine, page 56:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The long, flat structure at the bottom of a sailboat is called the ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of the boat was damaged when it hit a large rock that was hidden just below the water's surface.