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