Keel

v. t. & i.	1.	To cool; to skim or stir. While greasy Joan doth keel the pot. - Shak.
n.	1.	A brewer's cooling vat; a keelfat.
	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.	Fig.: The whole ship.
	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.	(Bot.) The two lowest petals of the corolla of a papilionaceous flower, united and inclosing the stamens and pistil; a carina. See Carina.
	5.	(Nat. Hist.) A projecting ridge along the middle of a flat or curved surface.
	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. Bilge keel (Naut.) a keel peculiar to ironclad vessels, extending only a portion of the length of the vessel under the bilges. False keel See under False. - Ham. Nav. Encyc. 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. On an even keel steady; balanced; steadily. - Ham. Nav. Encyc.
v. i.	1.	To traverse with a keel; to navigate. [imp. & p. p. Keeled ; p. pr. & vb. n. Keeling.]
	2.	To turn up the keel; to show the bottom. To keel over to upset; to capsize.

Noun	1.	keel - the median ridge on the breastbone of birds that fly
	2.	keel - one of the main longitudinal beams (or plates) of the hull of a vessel; can extend vertically into the water to provide lateral stability
Verb	1.	keel - walk as if unable to control one's movements; "The drunken man staggered into the room" Synonyms: careen, lurch, reel, stagger, swag

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