• metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock''s mechanism can be rotated
• a lever that actuates a mechanism when depressed
• the central building block at the top of an arch or vault
• mechanical device used to wind another device that is driven by a spring (as a clock)
• pitch of the voice; "he spoke in a low Key"
• something crucial for explaining; "the Key to development is economic integration"
• 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"
• a list of words or phrases that explain symbols or abbreviations
• a list of answers to a test; "some students had stolen the Key to the final exam"
• any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music
• (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"
• a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida
• 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)
• a winged often one-seed indehiscent fruit as of the ash or elm or maple
• a kilogram of a narcotic drug; "they were carrying two Keys of heroin"
• harmonize with or adjust to; "Key one''s actions to the voters'' prevailing attitude"
• regulate the musical pitch of
• identify as in botany or biology, for example
• vandalize a car by scratching the sides with a Key; "His new Mercedes was Keyed last night in the parking lot"
• provide with a Key; "We were Keyed after the locks were changed in the building"
• 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"
• effective; producing a desired effect; "the operative word"

'Key' in other languages