key
noun
[ kiː ]
• 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"
• each of several buttons on a panel for operating a computer, typewriter, or telephone.
• "press the ENTER key"
• a thing that provides a means of achieving or understanding something.
• "discipline seems to be the key to her success"
Similar:
answer,
clue,
solution,
explanation,
pointer,
cue,
lead,
basis of,
foundation for,
requisite for,
condition,
precondition,
essential,
means,
way,
route,
path,
passport,
secret,
formula,
guide,
gloss,
glossary,
interpretation,
explication,
translation,
clarification,
exposition,
annotation,
index,
legend,
code,
• a group of notes based on a particular note and comprising a scale, regarded as forming the tonal basis of a piece of music.
• "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.
• "he hit another jumper from the top of the key"
key
adjective
• of crucial importance.
• "she became a key figure in the suffragette movement"
Similar:
crucial,
central,
essential,
indispensable,
basic,
fundamental,
pivotal,
critical,
decisive,
dominant,
vital,
principal,
salient,
prime,
chief,
major,
leading,
main,
important,
significant,
key
verb
• enter or operate on (data) by means of a computer keyboard or telephone keypad.
• "not everyone can key data quickly and accurately"
• fasten (something) in position with a pin, wedge, or bolt.
• "the coils may be keyed into the slots by fibre wedges"
• 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"
• word (an advertisement in a 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"
• vandalize (a car) by scraping its paint with a key.
• be the crucial factor in achieving.
• "Ewing keyed a 73–35 advantage on the boards with twenty rebounds"
Origin:
Old English cǣg, cǣge, of unknown origin.
key
noun
• a low-lying island or reef, especially in the Caribbean.
Origin:
late 17th century: from Spanish cayo ‘shoal, reef’, influenced by quay.
