Nautiterm: (Nautical Terms Explained) – “Even Keel”

Nautiterm: (Nautical Terms Explained) – “Even Keel” - A vessel that floats upright without list is said to be on an even keel and this term has come to mean calm and steady. A keel is like the backbone of the vessel, the lowest and principal centerline structural member running fore and aft. Keeled over (upside down) was a sailor’s term for death.