skeg

Definition

A fin-like structure to the rear of the keel of a vessel that supports the rudder and protects a propeller.

Etymology

From a dialectal term for a stump, branch, or wooden peg; compare Swedish skog. Compare also shaw.

Example Sentences

• "Some take them for Damascen plums, or rather for Bullois, Skegs, or such like wilde Plums."
• "SKEGS. A kind of oat, sometimes cultivated as a crop in Nottinghamshire. It is the Avena stipiformis of Linnaeus."