keel
/kiːl/ (bre, ipa) · /kiːl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈkēl/ (ame, mw)
keel — noun
- keelsingular
- keelsplural
1. a long beam, usually wooden or metal, running down the middle of a boat's unders
a long beam, usually wooden or metal, running down the middle of a boat's underside, holding the rest of the hull together and stopping the boat from tipping over in rough water
Camila ran her hand along the wooden keel of the small fishing boat.
the keel of [vessel] — possessive shape
Storms in the North Sea cracked the keel of the trawler, and Esteban steered for port.
the keel of [vessel] cracked / broken
Workers at the Busan shipyard laid the keel of the new ferry on a quiet Tuesday morning.
A heavy lead keel under the racing yacht stopped Adisa's boat from leaning too far in strong winds.
The diver discovered barnacles covering the keel of a sunken cargo ship off the coast of Crete.
文法句型
the keel of [vessel]
用法筆記
Subject of construction verbs is usually a shipyard or builder; the common phrase 'lay the keel' marks the start of building a ship.
常見錯誤
2. a thin bony ridge running down the front of a flying bird's breastbone, providin
a thin bony ridge running down the front of a flying bird's breastbone, providing a wide surface for the strong muscles that move the wings
Hyun pointed to the keel on the pigeon skeleton and explained that flightless birds usually lack one.
the keel on [bird] sternum / skeleton
Ostriches and emus have only a flat breastbone, with no keel for flight muscles to attach to.
no keel — flightless contrast
The biology teacher showed Greta how the deep keel of a hawk's sternum supports its powerful wing strokes.
A vet measured the keel of the rescued falcon to estimate how much weight the bird had lost.
- carina
the Latin anatomical term used in scientific writing
文法句型
the keel of [bird's] sternum
用法筆記
Common in ornithology and avian veterinary writing; everyday English uses 'breastbone' for the whole bone, not 'keel' for the ridge alone.
3. any long, thin raised line on a plant, animal body part, or other surface that h
any long, thin raised line on a plant, animal body part, or other surface that has roughly the same shape as the bottom edge of a boat
The botanist showed Noa the small keel running along the underside of the pea flower's petal.
keel of a flower / petal
Each leaf has a sharp keel down the centre, which channels rain toward the plant's roots.
sharp keel — drainage function
Sahil studied the bony keel on the turtle's shell, comparing it with samples from other species.
A faint keel along the top of the bronze helmet showed where two metal halves had been joined together.
- groove
the opposite shape — a long thin channel sunk into the surface
文法句型
a keel on [body part / structure]
用法筆記
Frequently passive in botanical and zoological description (e.g. 'is bordered by a keel'); rarely used outside scientific or technical contexts.
keel — verb
- keelpresent simple I / you / we / they
- keels3rd person singular
- keeling-ing form
- keeledpast simple
1. to suddenly drop to the ground, usually because of illness, heat, or shock, almo
to suddenly drop to the ground, usually because of illness, heat, or shock, almost always used with the word 'over'
After standing in the sun for two hours, Yael keeled over on the parade ground.
keel over — collapse from heat/standing
One of the runners keeled over near the finish line and was carried away by medics.
keel over — exhaustion collapse
The old dog suddenly keeled over in the garden, and Vivek rushed it to the vet.
I nearly keeled over when Layla told me the price of the new apartment in central Tokyo.
Two of the soldiers keeled over from heatstroke during the long march through the desert.
- stand firm
stay upright and steady, rather than dropping suddenly
文法句型
keel over
用法筆記
Almost always used with 'over' as a particle (keel over). The bare form 'keel' on its own is very rare; in casual speech it can also mean 'die'.