bilge keel

American

noun

Nautical.

either of two keellike projections extending lengthwise along a ship's bilge, one on each side, to retard rolling.

bilge keel British

noun

one of two keel-like projections along the bilges of some vessels to improve sideways stability

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bilge keel

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

An external bilge keel about 300 feet long and 25 inches deep was fitted along the bilge amidships.

From Project Gutenberg

She had not altered her position, except for lying well over on her port bilge keel.

From Project Gutenberg

His funny little craft with its inner-tube bilge keels, no less than the bobbing of that football life-preserver, lent touches to the picture that could have been blocked in by no other media.

From Project Gutenberg

Those steamers, it seemed to me, had big bilge keels, for as the tide ebbed they did not heel over.

From Project Gutenberg

It's soft there, and he worked in over his bilge keel.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023