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

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

key (n):
the central building block at the top of an arch or vault

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

key (n):
pitch of the voice
Samples
he spoke in a low key

key (n):
something crucial for explaining
Samples
the key to development is economic integration

key (n):
a generic term for any device whose possession entitles the holder to a means of access
Samples
a safe-deposit box usually requires two keys to open it

key (n):
a list of words or phrases that explain symbols or abbreviations

key (n):
a list of answers to a test
Samples
some students had stolen the key to the final exam

key (n):
any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music

key (n):
(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
Samples
he hit a jump shot from the top of the key.
he dominates play in the paint

key (n):
a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida

key (n):
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)

key (n):
a winged often one-seed indehiscent fruit as of the ash or elm or maple

key (n):
a kilogram of a narcotic drug
Samples
they were carrying two keys of heroin

key (v):
harmonize with or adjust to
Samples
key one's actions to the voters' prevailing attitude

key (v):
regulate the musical pitch of

key (v):
identify as in botany or biology, for example

key (v):
vandalize a car by scratching the sides with a key
Samples
His new Mercedes was keyed last night in the parking lot

key (v):
provide with a key
Samples
We were keyed after the locks were changed in the building

key (s):
serving as an essential component
Samples
a cardinal rule.
the central cause of the problem.
an example that was fundamental to the argument.
computers are fundamental to modern industrial structure

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