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   Key

   /kē/

   

   noun

   • 1. a small piece of shaped metal with incisions cut to fit the wards of a particular lock, which is inserted into a lock and turned to open or close it: "there were two keys to the cupboard"
   • ▪ a small, shaped metal implement for operating a switch in the form of a lock, especially one operating the ignition of a motor vehicle: "Nat turned the key in the ignition"
   • ▪ short for key card
   • ▪ an instrument for grasping and turning a screw, peg, or nut, especially one for winding a clock or turning a valve.
   • ▪ a pin, bolt, or wedge inserted between other pieces, or fitting into a hole or space designed for it, so as to lock parts together.
   • 2. each of several buttons on a panel for operating a computer, typewriter, or telephone: "press the ENTER key"
   • ▪ a lever depressed by the finger in playing an instrument such as the organ, piano, flute, or concertina: "a piece composed solely for the white keys on the piano"
   • ▪ a lever operating a mechanical device for making or breaking an electric circuit, for example in telegraphy.
   • 3. a thing that provides a means of gaining access to or understanding something: "the key to Jack's behavior may lie submerged in his unhappy past" Similar answercluesolutionexplanationpointercueleadbasis offoundation forrequisite forconditionpreconditionessentialmeanswayroutepathpassportsecretformulaguideglossglossaryinterpretationexplicationtranslationclarificationexpositionannotationindexlegendcode
   • ▪ an explanatory list of symbols used in a map, table, etc.
   • ▪ a set of answers to exercises or problems: "a key at the back of the book provides the answers"
   • ▪ a word or system for solving a cipher or code: "it took him some time to find the key, the connection between the code and the Odyssey"
   • ▪ the first move in the solution of a chess problem.
   • ▪ a field in a record which is used to identify that record uniquely.
   • 4. a group of notes based on a particular note and comprising a scale, regarded as forming the tonal basis of a piece or passage of music: "the key of E minor" Similar tonepitchtimbretonalitytone colormodulation
   • ▪ the tone or pitch of someone's voice: "his voice had changed to a lower key"
   • ▪ the prevailing tone or tenor of a piece of writing, situation, etc.: "it was like the sixties all over again, in a new, more austerely intellectual key" Similar stylecharactermoodveinspiritfeelfeelingflavorqualityhumoratmosphere
   • ▪ the prevailing range of tones or intensities in a painting: "these mauves, lime greens, and saffron yellows recall the high key of El Greco's palette"
   • 5. the dry winged fruit of an ash, maple, or sycamore maple, typically growing in bunches; a samara.
   • 6. the part of a first coat of wall plaster that passes between the laths and so secures the rest.
   • ▪ the roughness of a surface, helping the adhesion of plaster or other material.
   • 7. the keyhole-shaped area marked on the court near each basket, comprising the free-throw circle and the foul line: "he hit another jumper from the top of the key"

   adjective

   • 1. of paramount or crucial importance: "she became a key figure in the suffragette movement"

   verb

   • 1. enter or operate on (data) by means of a computer keyboard or telephone keypad: "not everyone can key data quickly and accurately"
   • 2. fasten (something) in position with a pin, wedge, or bolt: "the coils may be keyed into the slots by fiber wedges"
   • 3. roughen (a surface) to help the adhesion of plaster or other material: "a wooden float with nails driven through it is used to key the wall surface between coats"
   • 4. word (an advertisement in a particular periodical), typically by varying the form of the address given, so as to identify the publication generating particular responses: "one keys advertisements and measures returns"
   • 5. vandalize a car by scraping the paint from it with a key: informal "somebody could key your car and not get punished"
   • 6. be the crucial factor in achieving: informal North American "Ewing keyed a 73–35 advantage on the boards with twenty rebounds"

   Word Origin Old Englishcǣg, cǣge, of unknown origin.

   Derivatives

   • 1. keyer noun
   • 2. keyless adjective

   Scrabble Points: 10

   • K

     5

   • E

     1

   • Y

     4

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