Main Entry: keel
 Function: noun
 Etymology: Middle English kele, from Middle Dutch kiel; akin to Old
 English cEol ship
 Date: 14th century
 : a flat-bottomed barge used especially on the Tyne to carry coal
 
 

     Walt Whitman uses the word, keel, as a noun representing a flat-bottomed barge (ship.)  The 14th century word, keel, comes from Middle English kele, from Middle Dutch kiel; akin to Old English cEol, ship.

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