Meaning of 'key'

noun

a winged often one-seed indehiscent fruit as of the ash or elm or maple

Synonyms: samara key fruit

noun

a kilogram of a narcotic drug

Example: "they were carrying two keys of heroin"

verb

harmonize with or adjust to

Example: "key one's actions to the voters' prevailing attitude"

verb

regulate the musical pitch of

verb

identify as in botany or biology, for example

Synonyms: name

verb

vandalize a car by scratching the sides with a key

Example: "My new Mercedes was keyed last night in the parking lot."

verb

provide with a key

Example: "We were keyed after the locks were changed in the building"

adjective

serving as an essential component

Synonyms: central

noun

metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated

noun

a lever (as in a keyboard) that actuates a mechanism when depressed

noun

the central building block at the top of an arch or vault

Synonyms: headstone keystone

noun

mechanical device used to wind another device that is driven by a spring (as a clock)

Synonyms: winder

noun

pitch of the voice

Example: "They spoke in a low key."

noun

something crucial for explaining

Example: "the key to development is economic integration"

noun

a generic term for any device whose possession entitles the holder to a means of access

Example: "a safe-deposit box usually requires two keys to open it"

noun

a list of words or phrases that explain symbols or abbreviations

noun

a list of answers to a test

Example: "some students had stolen the key to the final exam"

noun

any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music

Synonyms: tonality

noun

(basketball) a space (including the foul line) in front of the basket at each end of a basketball court

Synonyms: paint

noun

a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida

Synonyms: cay