Key

n.	1.	An instrument by means of which the bolt of a lock is shot or drawn; usually, a removable metal instrument fitted to the mechanism of a particular lock and operated by turning in its place.
	2.	A small device which is inserted into a mechanism and turned like a key to fasten, adjust, or wind it; as, a watch key; a bed key; the winding key for a clock, etc.
	3.	One of a set of small movable parts on an instrument or machine which, by being depressed, serves as the means of operating it; the complete set of keys is usually called the keyboard; as, the keys of a piano, an organ, an accordion, a computer keyboard, or of a typewriter. The keys may operate parts of the instrument by a mechanical action, as on a piano, or by closing an electrical circuit, as on a computer keyboard. See also senses 12 and 13.
	4.	A position or condition which affords entrance, control, pr possession, etc.; as, the key of a line of defense; the key of a country; the key of a political situation. Those who are accustomed to reason have got the true key of books. - Locke. Who keeps the keys of all the creeds. - Tennyson.
	5.	That part of a mechanism which serves to lock up, make fast, or adjust to position.
	6.	(Arch.) A piece of wood used as a wedge.
	7.	(Masonry) A keystone.
	8.	(Mach.) A wedge to unite two or more pieces, or adjust their relative position; a cotter; a forelock.
	9.	(Bot.) An indehiscent, one-seeded fruit furnished with a wing, as the fruit of the ash and maple; a samara; - called also key fruit.
	10.	(Mus.) A family of tones whose regular members are called diatonic tones, and named key tone (or tonic) or one (or eight), mediant or three, dominant or five, subdominant or four, submediant or six, supertonic or two, and subtonic or seven. Chromatic tones are temporary members of a key, under such names as " sharp four," "flat seven," etc. Scales and tunes of every variety are made from the tones of a key. Both warbling of one song, both in one key. - Shak.
	11.	Fig: The general pitch or tone of a sentence or utterance. You fall at once into a lower key. - Cowper.
	12.	(Teleg.) A metallic lever by which the circuit of the sending or transmitting part of a station equipment may be easily and rapidly opened and closed; as, a telegraph key.
	13.	any device for closing or opening an electric circuit, especially as part of a keyboard, as that used at a computer terminal or teletype terminal.
	14.	(Biol.) A simplified version or analysis which accompanies something as a clue to its explanation, a book or table containing the solutions to problems, ciphers, allegories, or the like;
	15.	(Computers) A word or other combination of symbols which serves as an index identifying and pointing to a particular record, file, or location which can be retrieved and displayed by a computer program; as, a database using multi-word keys. When the key is a word, it is also called a keyword. Key bed Same as Key seat. Key bolt a bolt which has a mortise near the end, and is secured by a cotter or wedge instead of a nut. Key bugle See Kent bugle. Key of a position (Mil.) See Key, 4. Key seat (Mach.) a bed or groove to receive a key which prevents one part from turning on the other. Key way a channel for a key, in the hole of a piece which is keyed to a shaft; an internal key seat; - called also key seat. Key wrench (Mach.) an adjustable wrench in which the movable jaw is made fast by a key. Power of the keys (Eccl.) the authority claimed by the ministry in some Christian churches to administer the discipline of the church, and to grant or withhold its privileges; - so called from the declaration of Christ, "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven." - Matt. xvi. 19.
v. t.	1.	To fasten or secure firmly; to fasten or tighten with keys or wedges. [imp. & p. p. Keved ; p. pr. & vb. n. Keying.]
	2.	(Computers) To enter (text, data) using keys, especially those on a keyboard; to keyboard; as, to key the data in by hand.
	3.	To adjust so as to be maximally effective in a particular situation; - of actions, plans, or speech; as, to key one's campaign speech to each local audience.
	4.	To furnish with a key or keys. To key up a - (Arch.) To raise (the whole ring of an arch) off its centering, by driving in the keystone forcibly. b - (Mus.) To raise the pitch of. c - to produce nervous tension in; as, the whole team was keyed up for the championship game.
a.	1.	Essential; most important; as, the key fact in the inquiry; the president was the key player inthe negotiations.

Noun	1.	key - metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
	2.	key - something crucial for explaining; "the key to development is economic integration"
	3.	key - pitch of the voice; "he spoke in a low key"
	4.	key - any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music Synonyms: tonality
	5.	key - a kilogram of a narcotic drug; "they were carrying two keys of heroin"
	6.	key - a winged often one-seed indehiscent fruit as of the ash or elm or maple Synonyms: key fruit, samara
	7.	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) Synonyms: Francis Scott Key
	8.	key - a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida Synonyms: cay, Florida keys
	9.	key - (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" Synonyms: paint
	10.	key - a list of answers to a test; "some students had stolen the key to the final exam"
	11.	key - a list of words or phrases that explain symbols or abbreviations
	12.	key - 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"
	13.	key - mechanical device used to wind another device that is driven by a spring (as a clock) Synonyms: winder
	14.	key - the central building block at the top of an arch or vault Synonyms: headstone, keystone
	15.	key - a lever that actuates a mechanism when depressed
Verb	1.	key - identify as in botany or biology, for example Synonyms: key out, describe, distinguish, identify, name, discover
	2.	key - provide with a key; "We were keyed after the locks were changed in the building"
	3.	key - vandalize a car by scratching the sides with a key; "His new Mercedes was keyed last night in the parking lot"
	4.	key - regulate the musical pitch of
	5.	key - harmonize with or adjust to; "key one's actions to the voters' prevailing attitude"
Adj.	1.	key - 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" Synonyms: cardinal, central, fundamental, primal
	2.	key - effective; producing a desired effect; "the operative word" Synonyms: operative

KEY. An instrument made for shutting and opening a lock.
     2. The keys of a house are considered as real estate, and descend to the heir with the inheritance. But see 5 Blackf. 417.
     3. When the keys of a warehouse are delivered to a purchaser of goods locked up there, with a view of effecting a delivery of such goods, the delivery is complete. The doctrine of the civil law is the same. Dig. lib. 41, t. 1, 1. 9, Sec. 6; and lib. 18, t. 1, 1. 74.

KEY, estates. A wharf at which to land goods from, or to load them in a vessel. This word is now generally spelled Quay, from the French, quai.

1.	(database)	key - A value used to identify a record in a database, derived by applying some fixed function to the record. The key is often simply one of the fields (a column if the database is considered as a table with records being rows, see "key field"). Alternatively the key may be obtained by applying some function, e.g. a hash function, to one or more of the fields. The set of keys for all records forms an index. Multiple indexes may be built for one database depending on how it is to be searched.
2.	(cryptography)	key - A value which must be fed into the algorithm used to decode an encrypted message in order to reproduce the original plain text. Some encryption schemes use the same (secret) key to encrypt and decrypt a message, but public key encryption uses a "private" (secret) key and a "public" key which is known by all parties.
3.	(hardware)	key - An electromechanical keyboard button.

To see a key in your dream, symbolizes opportunities, access, control, secrets, or responsibilities. You may be locking away your own inner feelings and emotions. To dream that you lose your keys, signifies your fear of losing your position or status in life. You may have lost control of yourself. It may also foretell of unexpected changes and unpleasant adventures. If you give your key away, then it suggests that you have given up control of some situation or responsibility. To dream that you find keys, signifies that you have found a solution to a problem. To see broken keys in your dream, signifies many quarrels and possibly a break-up. To hear the sounds of keys rattling, indicates that you have the right attitude toward life. You are heading in the right direction and asking all the right questions in the process. It is also a sign of decisive action.French pitch, Rasputin, Svengali, TelAutography, Teletype, Teletype network, Teletyping, VIP, access, accommodate, accord, achromatism, adapt, adjust, adjust to, aerophone, ait, amplification, archipelago, assimilate, atoll, attune, axial, bad influence, bang, bar, barricade, batten, batten down, bell, big wheel, bilingual text, bolt, bottle opener, button, button up, can opener, cast, catchword, cay, centermost, central, centralized, centric, centroidal, centrosymmetric, choke, choke off, chromatism, chromism, church key, clap, clarification, classical pitch, clavis, close, close up, closed-circuit telegraphy, clue, code, color, color balance, color harmony, color scheme, coloration, coloring, complexion, concentrated, constrict, contain, continental island, contract, coordinate, coral head, coral island, coral reef, corkscrew, court, cover, crib, critical, crucial, cue, cue word, cut to, decipherment, decoding, decorator color, depth, description, dominant, double reed, duplex telegraphy, electricity, embouchure, eminence grise, equalize, essential, evidence, explication, facsimile telegraph, faithful translation, fasten, fit, five-percenter, fix, fold, fold up, free translation, frequency, friend at court, gear to, geocentric, gloss, glossary, good influence, gray eminence, guide, harmonize, heavyweight, height, hidden hand, high pitch, hint, holm, homologate, homologize, horn, hot lead, hue, humor, important, indication, indicator, influence, influence peddler, influencer, ingroup, insularity, interlinear, interlinear translation, interrupter, intimation, island, island group, islandology, isle, islet, key signature, key to, key word, keynote, kingmaker, latch, latchkey, latchstring, legend, level, lip, lobby, lobbyist, lock, lock out, lock up, loose translation, lords of creation, low pitch, main, major, major key, make plumb, make uniform, man of influence, manipulator, master key, measure, mediant, metaphrase, middle, middlemost, midmost, minor, mood, mouthpiece, multiplex telegraphy, natural color, necessary, new philharmonic pitch, news ticker, occlude, oceanic island, omphalic, open sesame, padlock, pallor, paraphrase, passkey, password, pedal point, philharmonic pitch, philosophical pitch, pipe, pitch, pivotal, plumb, pony, powers that be, pressure group, proportion, put in tune, quadruplex telegraphy, railroad telegraphy, receiver, reconcile, rectify, reed, reef, register, regulate, restatement, rewording, right, sandbank, sandbar, scent, seal, seal off, seal up, secure, sender, set, set right, shade, shut, shut the door, shut up, similarize, simplex telegraphy, single-current telegraphy, sinister influence, skeleton key, skin color, slam, slide, snap, sounder, special interests, special-interest group, spoor, squeeze shut, standard pitch, stock ticker, strangle, style, subdominant, submarine telegraphy, submediant, subtonic, suggestion, supertonic, sync, synchronize, tailor, telegraphics, telegraphy, teleprinter, teletypewriter, teletypewriting, telex, telltale, tenor, the Establishment, ticker, ticket, timbre, tin opener, tinct, tincture, tinge, tint, tip-off, tonality, tonic, tonic key, tooter, trace, transcription, translation, transliteration, transmitter, trim to, trot, true, true up, tune, typotelegraph, typotelegraphy, umbilical, undercolor, valve, very important person, vestige, vital, wheeler-dealer, whiff, wind, wind instrument, wire service, wire-puller, zip up, zipper

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