/ kiːl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
the long piece of wood or steel along the bottom of a ship, on which the frame is built, and which sometimes sticks out below the bottom and helps to keep it in a vertical position in the water
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IDIOMS
see even adjective
■ verb
[ v , vn ] keel (over) | keel sth (over) ( of a ship or boat ) to fall over sideways; to make sth fall over sideways
SYN capsize
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PHRASAL VERBS
- keel over
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old Norse kjo̧lr , of Germanic origin.