key

Etymology 1
From, , , from (whence also 🇨🇬 and ), of uncertain origin. The only sure cognates are Saterland Frisian, 🇨🇬, and 🇨🇬. Possibly from, , from , , , which would make it cognate with 🇨🇬, and perhaps to 🇨🇬 and 🇨🇬,. 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

 * 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 guide explaining the symbols or terminology of a map or chart; a legend.
 * 5) A guide to the correct answers of a worksheet or test.
 * 6)  One of several small, usually square buttons on a typewriter or computer keyboard, mostly corresponding to text characters.
 * 7) In musical instruments, one of the valve levers used to select notes, such as a lever opening a hole on a woodwind.
 * 8) 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.
 * 9)  A scale or group of pitches constituting the basis of a musical composition.
 * 10) The lowest note of a scale; keynote.
 * 11) In musical theory, the total melodic and harmonic relations, which exist between the tones of an ideal scale, major or minor; tonality.
 * 12) 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.
 * 13) In musical notation, a sign at the head of a staff indicating the musical key.
 * 14)  The general pitch or tone of a sentence or utterance.
 * 15) * ?,, Conversation
 * You fall at once into a lower key.
 * 1)  A modification of an advertisement so as to target a particular group or demographic.
 * 2)  An indehiscent, one-seeded fruit furnished with a wing, such as the fruit of the ash and maple; a samara.
 * 3)  A manual electrical switching device primarily used for the transmission of Morse code.
 * 4)   A piece of information (e.g., a  or ) used to encode or decode a message or messages.
 * 5)  A password restricting access to an IRC channel.
 * 6)  In a relational database, a field used as an index into another table (not necessarily unique).
 * 7)  A value that uniquely identifies an entry in a container.
 * 8)  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.
 * 9)  A series of logically organized groups of discriminating information which aims to allow the user to correctly identify a taxon.
 * 10)  A piece of wood used as a wedge.
 * 11)  The last board of a floor when laid down.
 * 12)  A keystone.
 * 13) That part of the plastering which is forced through between the laths and holds the rest in place.
 * 14)  A wooden support for a rail on the bullhead rail system.
 * 15) The degree of roughness, or retention ability of a surface to have applied a liquid such as paint, or glue.
 * 16)  The thirty-third card of the Lenormand deck.
 * 17)  The black ink layer, especially in relation to the three color layers of cyan, magenta, and yellow.  See also CMYK.
 * 18)  A color to be masked or made transparent.
 * 1)  In a relational database, a field used as an index into another table (not necessarily unique).
 * 2)  A value that uniquely identifies an entry in a container.
 * 3)  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.
 * 4)  A series of logically organized groups of discriminating information which aims to allow the user to correctly identify a taxon.
 * 5)  A piece of wood used as a wedge.
 * 6)  The last board of a floor when laid down.
 * 7)  A keystone.
 * 8) That part of the plastering which is forced through between the laths and holds the rest in place.
 * 9)  A wooden support for a rail on the bullhead rail system.
 * 10) The degree of roughness, or retention ability of a surface to have applied a liquid such as paint, or glue.
 * 11)  The thirty-third card of the Lenormand deck.
 * 12)  The black ink layer, especially in relation to the three color layers of cyan, magenta, and yellow.  See also CMYK.
 * 13)  A color to be masked or made transparent.
 * 1)  The thirty-third card of the Lenormand deck.
 * 2)  The black ink layer, especially in relation to the three color layers of cyan, magenta, and yellow.  See also CMYK.
 * 3)  A color to be masked or made transparent.

Translations

 * Bengali:, ,
 * Korean:
 * Malayalam: ,
 * Persian:
 * Romanian: ,
 * Shan:
 * Slovak: ,

Adjective

 * 1) Indispensable, supremely important.
 * He is the key player on his soccer team.
 * 1) Important, salient.
 * She makes several key points.
 * 1) Important, salient.
 * She makes several key points.
 * She makes several key points.

Verb

 * 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.
 * 4) * 2007, Stephen Blake Mettee, Michelle Doland, and Doris Hall, compilers, The American Directory of Writer's Guidelines, 6th ("2007–2008") edition, ISBN 1884956580, page 757,
 * Indicate the comparative value of each heading by keying it with a number in pencil, in the left margin, as follows:
 * 1)  To depress (a telegraph key).
 * 2)  To operate (the transmitter switch of a two-way radio).
 * 3)  (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.
 * 1)  To vandalize (a car, etc.) by scratching with an implement such as a key.
 * He keyed the car that had taken his parking spot.
 * 1) To link (as one might do with a key or legend).
 * 2)  To be identified as a certain taxon when using a key.
 * 3)  To modify (an advertisement) so as to target a particular group or demographic.
 * 4) To attune to; to set at; to pitch.
 * 5) To fasten or secure firmly; to fasten or tighten with keys or wedges.
 * 6) 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.
 * 7) To provide an arch with a keystone.
 * 1)  To be identified as a certain taxon when using a key.
 * 2)  To modify (an advertisement) so as to target a particular group or demographic.
 * 3) To attune to; to set at; to pitch.
 * 4) To fasten or secure firmly; to fasten or tighten with keys or wedges.
 * 5) 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.
 * 6) To provide an arch with a keystone.
 * 1) To fasten or secure firmly; to fasten or tighten with keys or wedges.
 * 2) 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.
 * 3) To provide an arch with a keystone.
 * 1) To provide an arch with a keystone.

Etymology 2
Variant of, from , from

Noun

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

Etymology 3
or.

Noun

 * 1)   A kilogram, especially of a recreational drug.

Adverb

 * 1) when

Etymology
Probably from.

Verb

 * 1)  to superimpose (an image, typically that of a person) onto another image

Usage notes
Often considered to be a synonym of.

Etymology 1
From a respelling of, from , from.

Noun

 * 1) cream

Etymology 2
From.

Noun

 * 1)  quay

Etymology
Likely.

Noun

 * 1)  a hundred grams of cocaine

Etymology
, the English name of the letter /.