KEEL (3)

Keel, n. [[Cf. AS. ceól ship; akin to D. & G. kiel keel, OHG. chiol ship, Icel. kjōll, and perh. to Gr. γαυ̑λοσ 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. 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.
2. 2. Fig.: The whole ship.
3. 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.
4. 4. (Bot.) The two lowest petals of the corolla of a papilionaceous flower, united and inclosing the stamens and pistil; a carina. See Carina.
5. 5. (Nat. Hist.) A projecting ridge along the middle of a flat or curved surface.
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. (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.