a. (Naut.) Having the keel arched upwards, but not actually hogged; -- said of a ship. [ 1913 Webster ]

. (Naut.) A projection downward from the keel of a yacht, resembling in shape the fin of a fish, though often with a cigar-shaped bulb of lead at the bottom, and generally made of metal. Its use is to ballast the boat and also to enable her to sail close to the wind and to make the least possible leeway by offering great resistance to lateral motion through the water. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

v. t. & i. [ AS. cēlan to cool, fr. cōl cool. See Cool. ] To cool; to skim or stir. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

While greasy Joan doth keel the pot. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A brewer's cooling vat; a keelfat. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. AS. ceól ship; akin to D. & G. kiel keel, OHG. chiol ship, Icel. kjōll, and perh. to Gr. gay^los a round-built Phœnician merchant vessel, gaylo`s 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fig.: The whole ship. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Bot.) The two lowest petals of the corolla of a papilionaceous flower, united and inclosing the stamens and pistil; a carina. See Carina. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Nat. Hist.) A projecting ridge along the middle of a flat or curved surface. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Keeled p. pr. & vb. n. Keeling. ] 1. To traverse with a keel; to navigate. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To turn up the keel; to show the bottom. [ 1913 Webster ]

To keel over, to upset; to capsize. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. guillage, fr. guille keel; of German or Scand origin. See 3d Keel. ] The right of demanding a duty or toll for a ship entering a port; also, the duty or toll. Bouvier. Wharton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. (Bot.) Keel-shaped; having a longitudinal prominence on the back; as, a keeled leaf. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) Having a median ridge; carinate; as, a keeled scale. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See 3d Keel. ] 1. One employed in managing a Newcastle keel; -- called also keelman. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A small or shallow tub; esp., one used for holding materials for calking ships, or one used for washing dishes, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Keel to cool + fat a large tub, a vat. ] (Brewing) A cooler; a vat for cooling wort, etc. [ Written also keelvat. ] Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Keelhauled p. pr. & vb. n. Keelhauling. ] [ 3d keel + haul: cf. LG. & D. kielhalen, G. kielholen. ] [ Written also keelhale. ] (Naut.) To haul under the keel of a ship, by ropes attached to the yardarms on each side. It was formerly practiced as a punishment in the Dutch and English navies. Totten. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Icel. keila, Sw. kolja, Dan. kulle. ] (Zool.) A cod. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. Gael. cil ruddle. ] A pencil of black or red lead; -- called also keelyvine pen. [ Scot. ] Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. -men See Keeler, 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To drop down in a faint, or as if dead; to die. [ Colloq. ] [ PJC ]

v. t. (Naut.) Same as Keelhaul. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. Ninepins. See Kayles. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Akin to Sw. kölsvin, Dan. kjölsviin, G. kielschwein; apparently compounded of the words keel and swine; but cf. Norweg. kjölsvill, where svill is akin to E. sill, n. ] (Shipbuilding) A piece of timber in a ship laid on the middle of the floor timbers over the keel, and binding the floor timbers to the keel; in iron vessels, a structure of plates, situated like the keelson of a timber ship. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cross keelson, a similar structure lying athwart the main keelson, to support the engines and boilers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Keelfat. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Icel. skj&unr_;la a pail, bucket. ] A shallow wooden vessel for holding milk or cream. [ Prov. Eng. & Scot. ] Grose. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ See Sheldrake. ] (Zool.) The common European sheldrake. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Ar. wakīl. ] A native attorney or agent; also, an ambassador. [ India ] [ 1913 Webster ]