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Key

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key¹

  • /kiː/ UK
  • /ki/ US

Sounds like cay, ki, quay · Rhymes with -iː

Where it comes from

From Middle English keye, kaye, keiȝe, from Old English cǣġ (“key, solution, experiment”) (whence also Scots key and kay (“key”)), from Anglo-Frisian Proto-West Germanic *kaiju, of uncertain origin. The only sure cognates are Saterland Frisian Koai (“key”), West Frisian kaai (“key”), and North Frisian kai, koie (“key”). Possibly from Proto-Germanic *kēgaz, *kēguz (“stake, post, pole”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵogʰ-, *ǵegʰ-, *ǵegʰn- (“branch, stake, bush”), which would make it cognate with Middle Low German kāk (“whipping post, pillory”), and perhaps to Middle Dutch keige (“javelin, spear”) and Middle Low German keie, keige (“spear”).

For the semantic development, note that medieval keys were simply long poles (ending in a hook) with which a crossbar obstructing a door from the inside could be removed from the outside, by lifting it through a hole in the door. Liberman has noted, however, "The original meaning of *kaig-jo- was presumably '*pin with a twisted end.' Words with the root *kai- followed by a consonant meaning 'crooked, bent; twisted' are common only in the North Germanic languages."

noun keys

  1. countable An object designed to open and close a lock or to activate or deactivate something, especially a length of metal inserted into a narrow opening on the lock to which it is matched (keyed). This key is to the backdoor.
  2. countable A card or fob that electronically signals a lock to open. My hotel room key is a card.
  3. countable, figuratively A piece of information (e.g., a password or passphrase) used to encode or decode a message or messages.
  4. Internet, countable A password restricting access to an IRC channel. if you know someone who is in the channel, you can query them and ask for the key.
  5. countable, slang A key bump (A portion of a recreational drug in powdered form that is snorted from a key or similar small object.) I saw him snort a key at the party.
  6. countable Any of various tools comparable to a wrench (spanner) or driver, which have a specialized end that matches a fixture, analogously to a lock's key. The exterminator will bring a key thingy that can open the bait boxes.
  7. A cotter pin.
  8. A piece of wood used as a wedge.
  9. The last board of a floor when laid down.
  10. A keystone.
  11. That part of the plastering which is forced through between the laths and that holds the rest in place.
  12. A wooden wedge, driven sideways between a bullhead rail and a cast-iron chair, to keep the rail securely in position.
  13. figuratively A crucial step or requirement. Persistence is the key to solving this problem.
  14. broadly, figuratively An idea, theory or observation that explains, justifies or renders (something) comprehensible. The key to his proposal is that he thinks this company is dying and needs radical change.
  15. figuratively A deciding factor. Her charm is the key to her success.
  16. A small guide explaining symbols, abbreviations or terminology, especially the legend on a map or chart. map key
  17. A guide to the correct answers of a worksheet or test. Some students cheated by using the key.
  18. A series of logically organized groups of discriminating information which aims to allow the user to correctly identify a taxon; a taxonomic key.
  19. A value that uniquely identifies an entry in a container.
  20. In a relational database, a field used as an index into another table (not necessarily unique).
  21. One of several small, usually square buttons on a typewriter or computer keyboard, mostly corresponding to text characters. Press the Escape key.
  22. In musical instruments, one of the valve levers used to select notes, such as a lever opening a hole on a woodwind. piano key
  23. In instruments with a keyboard such as an organ or piano, one of the levers, or especially the exposed front end of it, which are depressed to cause a particular sound or note to be produced.
  24. A scale or group of pitches constituting the basis of a musical composition. the key of B-flat major
  25. The lowest note of a scale; keynote.
  26. In musical theory, the total melodic and harmonic relations, which exist between the tones of an ideal scale, major or minor; tonality.
  27. In musical theory and notation, the tonality centering in a given tone, or the several tones taken collectively, of a given scale, major or minor.
  28. In musical notation, a sign at the head of a staff indicating the musical key.
  29. figuratively The general pitch or tone of a sentence or utterance. 2. Queen.[…]Deere Glasse of Ladies Bid him that we whom flaming war doth scortch, Vnder the shaddow of his Sword, may coole us: Require him he advance it ore our heades; Speak't in a womans key: like such a woman As any of us three; weepe ere you faile; lend us a knee; But touch the ground for us no
  30. broadly, figuratively A modification of an advertisement so as to target a particular group or demographic.
  31. An item of decor shaped like a key.
  32. An indehiscent, one-seeded fruit furnished with a wing, such as the fruit of the ash and maple; a samara.
  33. The free-throw lane together with the circle surrounding the free-throw line, the free-throw lane having formerly been narrower, giving the area the shape of a skeleton key hole. He shoots from the top of the key.
  34. The thirty-third card of the Lenormand deck, which features an image of a key.
  35. The overall color tone of a painting or other visual art, with a high key indicating generally light colors and a low key indicating generally dark colors.
  36. The black ink layer, especially in relation to the three color layers of cyan, magenta, and yellow. See also CMYK.
  37. A color to be masked or made transparent. You can easily create this type of user interface by creating a bitmap with certain portions set to a predefined color you want to use as the transparency key.
  38. historical A manual electrical switching device primarily used for the transmission of Morse code.
  39. The degree of roughness, or the ability of a surface to retain an applied liquid, such as paint or glue. The door panel should be sanded down carefully to provide a good key for the new paint.

adjective keyer · more key · keyest · most key

  1. not comparable, usually Indispensable, supremely important. He is the key player on his soccer team.
  2. not comparable, usually Important, salient. She makes several key points.

verb keys · keying · keyed

  1. To fit (a lock) with a key.
  2. To fit (pieces of a mechanical assembly) with a key to maintain the orientation between them.
  3. To mark or indicate with a symbol indicating membership in a class. So I worked on a tissue-paper copy of the perimeter plan, outlining groupings of plants of the same species and keying them with letters for the species.
  4. To depress (a telegraph key).
  5. To operate (the transmitter switch of a two-way radio).
  6. (more usually to key in) To enter (information) by typing on a keyboard or keypad. Our instructor told us to key in our user IDs.
  7. colloquial To vandalize (a car, etc.) by scratching with an implement such as a key. He keyed the car that had taken his parking spot.
  8. To link (as one might do with a key or legend). The American Heart Association has prepared their own guide to classification and, keying it with the Standard Nomenclature of Diseases, have done much to encourage a concise yet complete diagnosis.
  9. intransitive To be identified as a certain taxon when using a key.
  10. transitive To modify (an advertisement) so as to target a particular group or demographic. Keying advertisements and counting the number of inquiries received or the number of coupons returned to indicate the "pulling power" of a particular piece of copy or the coverage of a particular advertising medium.
  11. To attune to; to set at; to pitch. To Ethel alone she addressed a stray remark, keyed below the sound of other voices.
  12. To fasten or secure firmly; to fasten or tighten with keys or wedges. they Mouldered and keyed the Portico Arches with Pieces of Stone, because Brick was not strong enough
  13. To prepare for plastering by adding the key (that part of the plastering which is forced through between the laths and holds the rest in place).
  14. To provide an arch with a keystone. The last arch in the permanant ^([sic]) bridge was keyed on March 26, 1850, and a single track was brought into use for goods trains on July 20.
  15. abbreviation, clipping Clipping of chromakey.chromakey After keying the background, you’d be left with a transparent background, where you can install anything—from images to videos that blend seamlessly into the main subject of the shot.

key²

  • /kiː/ UK
  • /ki/ US

Sounds like cay, ki, quay · Rhymes with -iː

Where it comes from

Variant of cay, from Spanish cayo, from Taíno cayo (“small island”)

noun keys · cay

  1. One of a string of small islands. the Florida Keys

key³

  • /kiː/ UK
  • /ki/ US

Sounds like cay, ki, quay · Rhymes with -iː

Where it comes from

Clipping of kilogram or kilo.

noun keys · ki · keye · kee

  1. slang A kilogram, especially of a recreational drug. So starting with ten keys of cocaine and two keys of heroin, Derrick put his plan in motion. Soon every major drug dealer and gang chief from Chicago Avenue to Evanston was in his pocket.

key⁴

  • /kiː/ UK
  • /ki/ US

Sounds like cay, ki, quay · Rhymes with -iː

noun keys

  1. alternative Alternative form of quay.quay

key⁵

  • /kiː/ UK
  • /ki/ US

Sounds like cay, ki, quay · Rhymes with -iː

Where it comes from

Clipping of key position.

noun keys

  1. A key position player (a tall forward or defender). "It just means that one of them here and there will need to play on a small-to-medium forward (instead of Riewoldt) which is fine. Our keys are pretty agile."

Key⁶

proper noun

  1. A surname.

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