Heel (hēl), v. i. [OE. helden to lean, incline, AS. heldan, hyldan; akin to Icel. halla, Dan. helde, Sw. hälla to tilt, pour, and perh. to E. hill.] (Naut.) To lean or tip to one side, as a ship; as, the ship heels aport; the boat heeled over when the squall struck it.
Heeling error(Naut.), a deviation of the compass caused by the heeling of an iron vessel to one side or the other.