- 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 to help it to keep steady in the water and prevent it from falling on its sideTopics Transport by waterc2Word OriginMiddle English: from Old Norse kjǫlr, of Germanic origin.
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Idioms
See keel in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryon an even keel
- living, working or happening in a calm way, with no sudden changes, especially after a difficult time
- Business is now back on an even keel after the strike.
- Setting her life back on an even keel after their break-up had been incredibly difficult.
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keel