Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

key 1       (kē)  Pronunciation Key  n.   pl. keys A notched and grooved, usually metal implement that is turned to open or close a lock. A similar device used for opening or winding: the key of a clock; a can that has a key attached. A vital, crucial element. A set of answers to a test. A table, gloss, or cipher for decoding or interpreting. A button or lever that is depressed to operate a machine. A button that is depressed to cause a corresponding character or function to be typed or executed by a typewriter or to be accepted as input by a computer. Music A button or lever that is depressed with the finger to produce or modulate the sound of an instrument, such as a clarinet or piano. A tonal system consisting of seven tones in fixed relationship to a tonic, having a characteristic key signature and being the structural foundation of the bulk of Western music; tonality. The principal tonality of a work: an etude in the key of E. A means of access, control, or possession. A vital, crucial element. A set of answers to a test. A table, gloss, or cipher for decoding or interpreting. A button or lever that is depressed to operate a machine. A button that is depressed to cause a corresponding character or function to be typed or executed by a typewriter or to be accepted as input by a computer. Music A button or lever that is depressed with the finger to produce or modulate the sound of an instrument, such as a clarinet or piano. A tonal system consisting of seven tones in fixed relationship to a tonic, having a characteristic key signature and being the structural foundation of the bulk of Western music; tonality. The principal tonality of a work: an etude in the key of E. A device, such as a wedge or pin, inserted to lock together mechanical or structural parts. Architecture The keystone in the crown of an arch. A button or lever that is depressed to operate a machine. A button that is depressed to cause a corresponding character or function to be typed or executed by a typewriter or to be accepted as input by a computer. Music A button or lever that is depressed with the finger to produce or modulate the sound of an instrument, such as a clarinet or piano. A tonal system consisting of seven tones in fixed relationship to a tonic, having a characteristic key signature and being the structural foundation of the bulk of Western music; tonality. The principal tonality of a work: an etude in the key of E. Music A tonal system consisting of seven tones in fixed relationship to a tonic, having a characteristic key signature and being the structural foundation of the bulk of Western music; tonality. The principal tonality of a work: an etude in the key of E. The pitch of a voice or other sound. A characteristic tone or level of intensity, as of a speech or sales campaign. Often used in combination: high-key; low-key. Botany A samara. An outline of the distinguishing characteristics of a group of organisms, used as a guide in taxonomic identification. Basketball An area at each end of the court between the base line and the foul line and including the jump-ball circle at the foul line: a jump shot from the top of the key. adj.   Of crucial importance; significant: key decisions; the key element of the thesis. v.   keyed, key·ing, keys v.   tr. To lock with or as if with a key. Architecture To furnish (an arch) with a keystone. Music To regulate the pitch of. To bring into harmony; adjust or adapt. To supply an explanatory key for. To operate (a device), as for typesetting, by means of a keyboard. To enter (data) into a computer by means of a keyboard. To identify (a biological specimen). To vandalize or mar by scratching with a key: Vandals keyed the cars left in the parking garage. v.   intr. To pay close attention; focus: improved service by keying on customer complaints; keyed in on the main points of the lecture. Sports To watch or cover an opposing player closely in an effort to limit the player's effectiveness. Used with on: "[She] still carries the burden of scoring ... even though opponents key on her throughout every game" (Josh Barr). Phrasal Verb(s): key up To make intense, excited, or nervous. Idiom(s): in key In consonance with other factors. Idiom(s): out of key Not in consonance with other factors. [Middle English kai, kei, from Old English cǣg.]

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

key 2       (kē)  Pronunciation Key  n.   pl. keys A low offshore island or reef, especially in the Gulf of Mexico; a cay. [Alteration (influenced by key, variant of quay) of Spanish cayo; see cay.]

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

key 3       (kē)  Pronunciation Key  n.   pl. keys Slang A kilogram of marijuana, cocaine, or heroin. [Shortening and alteration of kilogram.]

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Key       (kē)  Pronunciation Key  American lawyer and poet who wrote "Defense of Fort M'Henry" after witnessing the British attack on Fort McHenry at Baltimore on September 13-14, 1814. The poem was set to the music of an 18th-century tune called "To Anacreon in Heaven," renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner," and in 1931 was adopted by Congress as the national anthem.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
key  (1)

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
key  (2)

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

key
adjective
1.	serving as an essential component; "a cardinal rule"; "the central cause of the problem"; "an example that was fundamental to the argument"; "computers are fundamental to modern industrial structure" [syn: cardinal]
noun
1.	metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
2.	something crucial for explaining; "the key to development is economic integration"
3.	pitch of the voice; "he spoke in a low key"
4.	any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music [ant: atonalism]
5.	a kilogram of a narcotic drug; "they were carrying two keys of heroin"
6.	a winged often one-seed indehiscent fruit as of the ash or elm or maple [syn: samara]
7.	United States lawyer and poet who wrote a poem after witnessing the British attack on Baltimore during the War of 1812; the poem was later set to music and entitled 'The Star-Spangled Banner' (1779-1843)
8.	a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida
9.	(basketball) a space (including the foul line) in front of the basket at each end of a basketball court; usually painted a different color from the rest of the court; "he hit a jump shot from the top of the key"; "he dominates play in the paint"
10.	a list of answers to a test; "some students had stolen the key to the final exam"
11.	a list of words or phrases that explain symbols or abbreviations
12.	a generic term for any device whose possession entitles the holder to a means of access; "a safe-deposit box usually requires two keys to open it"
13.	mechanical device used to wind another device that is driven by a spring (as a clock) [syn: winder]
14.	the central building block at the top of an arch or vault [syn: keystone]
15.	a lever (as in a keyboard) that actuates a mechanism when depressed
verb
1.	identify as in botany or biology, for example [syn: identify]
2.	provide with a key; "We were keyed after the locks were changed in the building"
3.	vandalize a car by scratching the sides with a key; "His new Mercedes was keyed last night in the parking lot"
4.	regulate the musical pitch of
5.	harmonize with or adjust to; "key one's actions to the voters' prevailing attitude"

American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

key

In addition to the idiom beginning with key, also see in key; under lock and key.

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

key       (kē)  Pronunciation Key  See cay.

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
key

The main or central note of a piece of music (or part of a piece of music). Each key has its own scale, beginning and ending on the note that defines the octave of the next scale. The key of C-major uses a scale that starts on C and uses only the white keys of the piano. In a piece composed in the key of C, the music is likely to end on the note C, and certain combinations of notes based on C will predominate.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: key
Function: adjective
: of vital importance (as in a business organization) esp. so as to be specially insured to the benefit of an employer <key man> <key employee insurance>

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

key
1. A value used to identify a record in a database, derived by applying some fixed function to the record. The key is often simply one of the fields (a column if the database is considered as a table with records being rows, see "key field"). Alternatively the key may be obtained by applying some function, e.g. a hash function, to one or more of the fields. The set of keys for all records forms an index. Multiple indexes may be built for one database depending on how it is to be searched.
2. A value which must be fed into the algorithm used to decode an encrypted message in order to reproduce the original plain text. Some encryption schemes use the same (secret) key to encrypt and decrypt a message, but public key encryption uses a "private" (secret) key and a "public" key which is known by all parties.
3. An electromechanical keyboard button.
(2003-07-04)

U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Key Biscayne, FL (CDP, FIPS 36300) Location: 25.68995 N, 80.16535 W
Population (1990): 8854 (5724 housing units)
Area: 3.3 sq km (land), 0.3 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 33149

Key West, FL (city, FIPS 36550) Location: 24.56284 N, 81.77521 W
Population (1990): 24832 (12221 housing units)
Area: 14.2 sq km (land), 3.7 sq km (water)

Key Largo, FL (CDP, FIPS 36375) Location: 25.10606 N, 80.44130 W
Population (1990): 11336 (7594 housing units)
Area: 24.1 sq km (land), 33.9 sq km (water)

North Key Largo, FL (CDP, FIPS 49406) Location: 25.26685 N, 80.32356 W
Population (1990): 1490 (1587 housing units)
Area: 49.1 sq km (land), 2.3 sq km (water)

Key Colony Beach, FL (city, FIPS 36325) Location: 24.72256 N, 81.02331 W
Population (1990): 977 (1152 housing units)
Area: 1.3 sq km (land), 0.4 sq km (water)

Summerland Key, FL Zip code(s): 33042

Tutor Key, KY Zip code(s): 41263

Cedar Key, FL (city, FIPS 11225) Location: 29.14627 N, 83.03957 W
Population (1990): 668 (479 housing units)
Area: 2.2 sq km (land), 2.8 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 32625

Cudjoe Key, FL (CDP, FIPS 15862) Location: 24.67099 N, 81.49849 W
Population (1990): 1714 (1263 housing units)
Area: 13.6 sq km (land), 1.0 sq km (water)

Longboat Key, FL (town, FIPS 41150) Location: 27.38736 N, 82.63659 W
Population (1990): 5937 (7067 housing units)
Area: 12.7 sq km (land), 31.5 sq km (water)

Manasota Key, FL (CDP, FIPS 42750) Location: 26.92486 N, 82.35220 W
Population (1990): 1395 (1985 housing units)
Area: 2.8 sq km (land), 4.3 sq km (water)

Plantation Key, FL (CDP, FIPS 57512) Location: 24.98431 N, 80.56122 W
Population (1990): 4405 (2961 housing units)
Area: 8.4 sq km (land), 16.8 sq km (water)

Siesta Key, FL (CDP, FIPS 66000) Location: 27.27707 N, 82.55153 W
Population (1990): 7772 (8077 housing units)
Area: 5.9 sq km (land), 3.0 sq km (water)

Big Pine Key, FL (CDP, FIPS 6425) Location: 24.68693 N, 81.36615 W
Population (1990): 4206 (2453 housing units)
Area: 25.3 sq km (land), 0.5 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 33043

Big Coppitt Key, FL (CDP, FIPS 6350) Location: 24.59623 N, 81.66032 W
Population (1990): 2388 (1257 housing units)
Area: 3.6 sq km (land), 1.1 sq km (water)

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Key

Key\ (k[=e]), n. [OE. keye, key, kay, AS. c[ae]g.]

1. An instrument by means of which the bolt of a lock is shot or drawn; usually, a removable metal instrument fitted to the mechanism of a particular lock and operated by turning in its place.

2. An instrument which is turned like a key in fastening or adjusting any mechanism; as, a watch key; a bed key, etc.

3. That part of an instrument or machine which serves as the means of operating it; as, a telegraph key; the keys of a pianoforte, or of a typewriter.

4. A position or condition which affords entrance, control, pr possession, etc.; as, the key of a line of defense; the key of a country; the key of a political situation. Hence, that which serves to unlock, open, discover, or solve something unknown or difficult; as, the key to a riddle; the key to a problem.

Those who are accustomed to reason have got the true key of books. --Locke.

Who keeps the keys of all the creeds. --Tennyson.

5. That part of a mechanism which serves to lock up, make fast, or adjust to position.

6. (Arch.) (a) A piece of wood used as a wedge. (b) The last board of a floor when laid down.

7. (Masonry) (a) A keystone. (b) That part of the plastering which is forced through between the laths and holds the rest in place.

8. (Mach.) (a) A wedge to unite two or more pieces, or adjust their relative position; a cotter; a forelock. See Illusts. of Cotter, and Gib. (b) A bar, pin or wedge, to secure a crank, pulley, coupling, etc., upon a shaft, and prevent relative turning; sometimes holding by friction alone, but more frequently by its resistance to shearing, being usually embedded partly in the shaft and partly in the crank, pulley, etc.

9. (Bot.) An indehiscent, one-seeded fruit furnished with a wing, as the fruit of the ash and maple; a samara; -- called also key fruit.

10. (Mus.) (a) A family of tones whose regular members are called diatonic tones, and named key tone (or tonic) or one (or eight), mediant or three, dominant or five, subdominant or four, submediant or six, supertonic or two, and subtonic or seven. Chromatic tones are temporary members of a key, under such names as " sharp four," "flat seven," etc. Scales and tunes of every variety are made from the tones of a key. (b) The fundamental tone of a movement to which its modulations are referred, and with which it generally begins and ends; keynote.

Both warbling of one song, both in one key. --Shak.

11. Fig: The general pitch or tone of a sentence or utterance.

You fall at once into a lower key. --Cowper.

Key bed. Same as Key seat.

Key bolt, a bolt which has a mortise near the end, and is secured by a cotter or wedge instead of a nut.

Key bugle. See Kent bugle.

Key of a position or country. (Mil.) See Key, 4.

Key seat (Mach.), a bed or groove to receive a key which prevents one part from turning on the other.

Key way, a channel for a key, in the hole of a piece which is keyed to a shaft; an internal key seat; -- called also key seat.

Key wrench (Mach.), an adjustable wrench in which the movable jaw is made fast by a key.

Power of the keys (Eccl.), the authority claimed by the ministry in some Christian churches to administer the discipline of the church, and to grant or withhold its privileges; -- so called from the declaration of Christ, "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven." --Matt. xvi. 19.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Key

Key\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Keved; p. pr. & vb. n. Keying.] To fasten or secure firmly; to fasten or tighten with keys or wedges. --Francis.

To key up. (a) (Arch.) To raise (the whole ring of an arch) off its centering, by driving in the keystone forcibly. (b) (Mus.) To raise the pitch of. (c) Hence, fig., to produce nervous tension in.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Key

Key\, n. (Teleg.) A metallic lever by which the circuit of the sending or transmitting part of a station equipment may be easily and rapidly opened and closed; any device for closing or opening an electric circuit.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Key

Key\, n. A simplified version or analysis which accompanies something as a clue to its explanation, a book or table containing the solutions to problems, ciphers, allegories, or the like, or a table or synopsis of conspicuous distinguishing characters of members of a taxonomic group.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Key

frequently mentioned in Scripture. It is called in Hebrew _maphteah_, i.e., the opener (Judg. 3:25); and in the Greek New Testament _kleis_, from its use in shutting (Matt. 16:19; Luke 11:52; Rev. 1:18, etc.). Figures of ancient Egyptian keys are frequently found on the monuments, also of Assyrian locks and keys of wood, and of a large size (comp. Isa. 22:22). The word is used figuratively of power or authority or office (Isa. 22:22; Rev. 3:7; Rev. 1:8; comp. 9:1; 20:1; comp. also Matt. 16:19; 18:18). The "key of knowledge" (Luke 11:52; comp. Matt. 23:13) is the means of attaining the knowledge regarding the kingdom of God. The "power of the keys" is a phrase in general use to denote the extent of ecclesiastical authority.