key

key

synonyms, antonyms, definitions, examples & translations of key in English

English Online Dictionary. What means key‎? What does key mean?

English

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kē, IPA(key): /kiː/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ki/
  • Rhymes: -iː
  • Homophones: cay, ki, quay

Etymology 1

From Middle English keye, kaye, keiȝe, from Old English cǣġ (“key, solution, experiment”) (whence also Scots key and kay (“key”)), of uncertain origin. The only sure cognates are Saterland Frisian Koai (“key”), West Frisian kaai (“key”), and North Frisian kay (“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

key (plural keys)

  1. An object designed to open and close a lock.
  2. An object designed to fit between two other objects (such as a shaft and a wheel) in a mechanism and maintain their relative orientation.
  3. A crucial step or requirement.
  4. A small guide explaining symbols or terminology, especially the legend on a map or chart.
  5. A guide to the correct answers of a worksheet or test.
  6. (computing) One of several small, usually square buttons on a typewriter or computer keyboard, mostly corresponding to text characters.
  7. (music)
    1. In musical instruments, one of the valve levers used to select notes, such as a lever opening a hole on a woodwind.
    2. 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.
  8. (music) A scale or group of pitches constituting the basis of a musical composition.
    1. The lowest note of a scale; keynote.
    2. In musical theory, the total melodic and harmonic relations, which exist between the tones of an ideal scale, major or minor; tonality.
    3. 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.
    4. In musical notation, a sign at the head of a staff indicating the musical key.
  9. (figurative) The general pitch or tone of a sentence or utterance.
    • ?, William Cowper, Conversation
      You fall at once into a lower key.
  10. (advertising) A modification of an advertisement so as to target a particular group or demographic.
  11. (botany) An indehiscent, one-seeded fruit furnished with a wing, such as the fruit of the ash and maple; a samara.
  12. (historical) A manual electrical switching device primarily used for the transmission of Morse code.
  14. (cryptography) A piece of information (e.g., a password or passphrase) used to encode or decode a message or messages.
  15. (Internet) A password restricting access to an IRC channel.
  16. (databases) In a relational database, a field used as an index into another table (not necessarily unique).
  17. (computing) A value that uniquely identifies an entry in a container.
  18. (basketball) 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.
  19. (biology) A series of logically organized groups of discriminating information which aims to allow the user to correctly identify a taxon.
  20. (architecture) A piece of wood used as a wedge.
  21. (architecture) The last board of a floor when laid down.
  22. (masonry) A keystone.
  23. That part of the plastering which is forced through between the laths and holds the rest in place.
  24. (rail transport) A wooden support for a rail on the bullhead rail system.
  25. The degree of roughness, or retention ability of a surface to have applied a liquid such as paint, or glue.
  26. (cartomancy) The thirty-third card of the Lenormand deck.
  27. (print and film) The black ink layer, especially in relation to the three color layers of cyan, magenta, and yellow. See also CMYK.
  28. (computer graphics, television) A color to be masked or made transparent.
Hyponyms
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
See also
  • clef
  • scale
  • key on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
  • Key in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

Adjective

key (not generally comparable, comparative keyer or more key, superlative keyest or most key)

  1. Indispensable, supremely important.
  2. Important, salient.
Translations

Verb

key (third-person singular simple present keys, present participle keying, simple past and past participle 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.
    • 2007, Stephen Blake Mettee, Michelle Doland, and Doris Hall, compilers, The American Directory of Writer's Guidelines, 6th ("2007–2008") edition, →ISBN, page 757,
      Indicate the comparative value of each heading by keying it with a number in pencil, in the left margin, as follows: […]
  4. (telegraphy and radio telegraphy) To depress (a telegraph key).
  5. (radio) To operate (the transmitter switch of a two-way radio).
  6. (computing) (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.
  8. To link (as one might do with a key or legend).
  9. (intransitive, biology, chiefly taxonomy) To be identified as a certain taxon when using a key.
  10. (advertising, transitive) To modify (an advertisement) so as to target a particular group or demographic.
  11. To attune to; to set at; to pitch.
  12. To fasten or secure firmly; to fasten or tighten with keys or wedges.
  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.
  15. Clipping of chromakey.
Derived terms
  • key in
  • key off
  • key on
  • key out
  • keyed up
Translations

References

Etymology 2

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

Alternative forms

  • cay

Noun

key (plural keys)

  1. One of a string of small islands.
    the Florida Keys
Derived terms
  • Florida Keys
  • Key West
  • Long Key
Translations

Etymology 3

Clipping of kilogram or kilo.

Noun

key (plural keys)

  2. (slang) A kilogram, especially of a recreational drug.
    Synonym: kay
Alternative forms
  • ki, keye, kee

Etymology 4

Noun

key (plural keys)

  1. Alternative form of quay

References

  • “key n.2”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang, Jonathon Green, 2016–present

Anagrams

  • Kye, kye

Central Kurdish

Adverb

key

  1. when

Chinese

Etymology

Probably from English chromakey.

Pronunciation

Verb

key

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, slightly dated) to superimpose (an image, typically that of a person) onto another image
    今日佢冇嚟影班相，唯有之後key返佢個大頭落去張相度啦。 [Cantonese, trad.]
    今日佢冇嚟影班相，唯有之后key返佢个大头落去张相度啦。 [Cantonese, simp.]
    gam1 jat6 keoi5 mou5 lai4 jing2 baan1 soeng6-2, wai4 jau5 zi1 hau6 ki1 faan1 keoi5 go3 daai6 tau4-2 lok6 heoi3 zoeng1 soeng6-2 dou6 laa1. [Jyutping]
    He did not came today for the class photo taking. The only way [to solve this] is to photoshop his face back onto the class photo.

Usage notes

Often considered to be a synonym of P (“to photoshop”).

Derived terms

See also

  • 啱key (ngaam1 ki1), 升key雀 (sing1 ki1 zoek6-2)

Manx

Etymology 1

From a respelling of kay, from Middle Irish ceó (“mist, milk, cream”), from Old Irish céo (“mist, fog”).

Noun

key m (genitive singular [please provide], plural [please provide])

  1. cream
Derived terms
  • key blinkit
  • key feayr
  • key riojey, key riojit

Etymology 2

From English quay.

Noun

key m (genitive singular keyee)

  1. (nautical) quay

Mutation

Middle English

Noun

key

  1. Alternative form of keye (“key”)

Swedish

Etymology

Likely borrowed from English key.

Noun

key c (genitive keys, plural keys, plural genitive keys)

  1. (slang) a hundred grams of cocaine

See also

  • kasse

References

  • Slangopedia

Tagalog

Etymology

Borrowed from English kay, the English name of the letter K/k.

Pronunciation

  • (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /kej/ [keɪ̯]
  • Rhymes: -ej
  • Syllabification: key
  • Homophone: Kaye

Noun

key (Baybayin spelling ᜃᜒᜌ᜔)

  1. the name of the Latin-script letter K/k, in the Filipino alphabet
    Synonym: (in the Abakada alphabet and Abecedario) ka

See also

  • (Latin-script letter names) titik; ey, bi, si, di, i, ef, dyi, eyts, ay, dyey, key, el, em, en, enye, en dyi, o, pi, kyu, ar, es, ti, yu, vi, dobolyu, eks, way, zi

Further reading

  • “key”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, Manila, 2018

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This article based on an article on Wiktionary. The list of authors can be seen in the page history there. The original work has been modified. This article is distributed under the terms of this license.