KEEL, noun 1. The principal timber in a ship, extending from stem to stern at the bottom, and supporting the whole frame. 2. A low flat-bottomed vessel, used in the river Tyne, to convey coals from Newcastle for loading the colliers. 3. In botany, the lower petal of a papilionaceous corol, inclosing the stamens and pistil. False keel a strong thick piece of timber, bolted to the bottom of the keel to preserve it from injury. On an even keel in a level or horizontal position. KEEL, verb transitive To cool. KEEL, verb transitive To plow with a keel; to navigate. 1. To turn up the keel; to show the bottom. To keel the pot, in Ireland, to scum it.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI