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keelhaul


Meanings
  • A nautical punishment where a sailor was tied to the keel (bottom) of a ship and dragged through the water.

    - "The cruel captain ordered the disobedient sailor to be keelhauled."
    - "The sailor was tied to the keel of the ship and dragged through the water as punishment for his disobedience."

Pronunciation




  1. Source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75804068"

Rhymes
Words rhyming with keelhaul
keelhaul , foul , sail , ail , hail , pail , gale , whale , tale , ailment , pale , wale , taw , raw , jaw , haw
Homophones
Words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling,
  1. haw (eng) : To make a sound like 'haw'.'. This homophone does not have any direct connection to the meaning of 'keelhaul'.


Variants
List of all variants of keelhaul that leads to same result
keelhaul , keelhauled , keelhauling , keelhauls
Forms
Different forms of the word (e.g., verb conjugations, plural forms, comparative/superlative forms for adjectives).

{"term"=>"keelhaul", "definition"=>"To subject a sailor to the nautical punishment of keelhauling, which involves tying the sailor to the keel of the ship and then dragging them through the water as a form of discipline for disobedience, shirking of duties, or other forms of misconduct while at sea."}


Etymology
origin and the way in which meanings have changed throughout history.

From the Old English word 'hegelian', which means 'to haul or pull along'. The term 'keelhaul' likely emerged as a specific nautical punishment involving hauling a sailor along the keel of a ship.


Related Concepts
informations on related concepts or terms closely associated with the word. Discuss semantic fields or domains that the word belongs to
  1. nautical punishment:

  2. age of sail:


Culture
Any cultural, historical, or symbolic significance of the word. Explore how the word has been used in literature, art, music, or other forms of expression.

Keelhauling was a common nautical punishment during the Age of Sail (15th to 18th centuries). It was often used as a form of discipline for sailors who were deemed to have disobeyed orders, shirked their duties, or otherwise engaged in misconduct while at sea. The punishment involved tying the sailor to the keel of the ship, usually with heavy ropes or chains, and then dragging them through the water. This painful and often debilitating punishment was intended to serve as a deterrent to other sailors who might be tempted to engage in similar misconduct. Over time, keelhauling fell out of favor as a nautical punishment, primarily due to the fact that it was often considered to be excessively cruel and inhumane. Today, keelhauling is primarily of historical interest, and is rarely, if ever, mentioned or discussed in modern nautical contexts.

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