1. Nautical. To discipline by dragging under the keel of a ship.
2. To rebuke harshly.

[Alteration (influenced by KEEL¹HAUL) of Dutch kielhalen : kiel, keel of a ship (from Middle Dutch) + halen, to haul (from Middle Dutch).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.