IELTS Anvil

keel

CEFR: C1

The central longitudinal structural beam along the bottom of a vessel's hull that provides directional stability.

Synonyms

hull spine
ship backbone

Common Collocations

lay the keel
weighted keel
oak keel

Example Sentence

Maritime archaeologists uncovered a Bronze Age boat whose oak keel had been preserved intact in estuarine silt.

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