keel
1
[ keel ]
/ kil /
noun
verb (used with or without object)
to turn or upset so as to bring the wrong side or part uppermost.
Verb Phrases
keel over,
- to capsize or overturn.
- to fall as in a faint: Several cadets keeled over from the heat during the parade.
Idioms for keel
on an even keel,
in a state of balance; steady; steadily: The affairs of state are seldom on an even keel for long.
Origin of keel
1
1325–75; 1895–1900
for def 8; Middle English
kele < Old Norse
kjǫlr; cognate with Old English
cēol keel, ship; see
keel2
OTHER WORDS FROM keel
keeled, adjectiveWords nearby keel
British Dictionary definitions for keel over (1 of 6)
keel over
verb (adverb)
to turn upside down; capsize
(intr) informal
to collapse suddenly
British Dictionary definitions for keel over (2 of 6)
keel
1
/ (kiːl) /
noun
one of the main longitudinal structural members of a vessel to which the frames are fastened and that may extend into the water to provide lateral stability
on an even keel
well-balanced; steady
any structure corresponding to or resembling the keel of a ship, such as the central member along the bottom of an aircraft fuselage
biology
a ridgelike part; carina
a poetic word for ship
verb
to capsize
See also
keel over
Derived forms of keel
keel-less, adjectiveWord Origin for keel
C14: from Old Norse
kjölr; related to Middle Dutch
kiel,
keel ²
British Dictionary definitions for keel over (3 of 6)
keel
2
/ (kiːl) /
noun Eastern British dialect
a flat-bottomed vessel, esp one used for carrying coal
a measure of coal equal to about 21 tons
Word Origin for keel
C14
kele, from Middle Dutch
kiel; compare Old English
cēol ship
British Dictionary definitions for keel over (4 of 6)
keel
3
/ (kiːl) /
noun
red ochre stain used for marking sheep, timber, etc
verb (tr)
to mark with this stain
Word Origin for keel
Old English
cēlan, from
cōl
cool
British Dictionary definitions for keel over (5 of 6)
Word Origin for keel
C15: probably from Scottish Gaelic
cīl
British Dictionary definitions for keel over (6 of 6)
keel
5
/ (kiːl) /
noun
a fatal disease of young ducks, characterized by intestinal bleeding caused by Salmonella bacteria
Word Origin for keel
C19: from
keel
1; see
keel over
Idioms and Phrases with keel over (1 of 2)
keel over
Collapse, as if in a faint; also, faint. For example, When she heard the awful news, she keeled over. This term alludes to a vessel rolling on its keel and capsizing. [Mid-1800s]
Idioms and Phrases with keel over (2 of 2)
keel