key

Definitions


[kiː], (Noun)

Definitions:
- 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
(e.g: there were two keys to the cupboard)

- each of several buttons on a panel for operating a computer, typewriter, or telephone
(e.g: press the ENTER key)

- a thing that provides a means of achieving or understanding something
(e.g: discipline seems to be the key to her success)

- a group of notes based on a particular note and comprising a scale, regarded as forming the tonal basis of a piece of music
(e.g: the key of E minor)

- the dry winged fruit of an ash, maple, or sycamore, typically growing in bunches; a samara

- the part of a first coat of wall plaster that passes between the laths and so secures the rest

- the keyhole-shaped area marked on the court near each basket
(e.g: he hit another jumper from the top of the key)


Phrases:
- in key
- out of key

Origin:
Old English cǣg, cǣge, of unknown origin


[kiː], (Adjective)

Definitions:
- of crucial importance
(e.g: she became a key figure in the suffragette movement)


Phrases:
- in key
- out of key

Origin:
Old English cǣg, cǣge, of unknown origin


[kiː], (Verb)

Definitions:
- enter or operate on (data) by means of a computer keyboard or telephone keypad
(e.g: not everyone can key data quickly and accurately)

- fasten (something) in position with a pin, wedge, or bolt
(e.g: the coils may be keyed into the slots by fibre wedges)

- roughen (a surface) to help the adhesion of plaster or other material
(e.g: a wooden float with nails driven through it is used to key the wall surface between coats)

- word (an advertisement in a periodical), typically by varying the form of the address given, so as to identify the publication generating particular responses
(e.g: one keys advertisements and measures returns)

- vandalize (a car) by scraping its paint with a key

- be the crucial factor in achieving
(e.g: Ewing keyed a 73–35 advantage on the boards with twenty rebounds)


Phrases:
- in key
- out of key

Origin:
Old English cǣg, cǣge, of unknown origin


[kiː], (Noun)

Definitions:
- a low-lying island or reef, especially in the Caribbean
(e.g: this massive lagoon is fringed by more than 670 islands and keys)


Phrases:

Origin:
late 17th century: from Spanish cayo ‘shoal, reef’, influenced by quay




definition by Oxford Dictionaries