Noun

• S: (n) key (key%1:06:00::) (metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated)
• S: (n) key (key%1:09:00::) (something crucial for explaining) "the key to development is economic integration"
• S: (n) key (key%1:07:00::) (pitch of the voice) "he spoke in a low key"
• S: (n) key (key%1:10:00::), tonality (tonality%1:10:00::) (any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music)
• S: (n) key (key%1:23:00::) (a kilogram of a narcotic drug) "they were carrying two keys of heroin"
• S: (n) samara (samara%1:20:00::), key fruit (key_fruit%1:20:00::), key (key%1:20:00::) (a winged often one-seed indehiscent fruit as of the ash or elm or maple)
• S: (n) Key (key%1:18:00::), Francis Scott Key (francis_scott_key%1:18:00::) (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))
• S: (n) key (key%1:17:00::), cay (cay%1:17:00::), Florida key (florida_key%1:17:00::) (a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida)
• S: (n) key (key%1:15:00::), paint (paint%1:15:00::) ((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"
• S: (n) key (key%1:10:03::) (a list of answers to a test) "some students had stolen the key to the final exam"
• S: (n) key (key%1:10:02::) (a list of words or phrases that explain symbols or abbreviations)
• S: (n) key (key%1:10:01::) (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"
• S: (n) winder (winder%1:06:01::), key (key%1:06:02::) (mechanical device used to wind another device that is driven by a spring (as a clock))
• S: (n) keystone (keystone%1:06:00::), key (key%1:06:03::), headstone (headstone%1:06:00::) (the central building block at the top of an arch or vault)
• S: (n) key (key%1:06:01::) (a lever (as in a keyboard) that actuates a mechanism when depressed)

Verb

• S: (v) identify (identify%2:31:01::), discover (discover%2:31:03::), key (key%2:31:00::), key out (key_out%2:31:00::), distinguish (distinguish%2:31:01::), describe (describe%2:31:00::), name (name%2:31:01::) (identify as in botany or biology, for example)
• S: (v) key (key%2:40:00::) (provide with a key) "We were keyed after the locks were changed in the building"
• S: (v) key (key%2:35:00::) (vandalize a car by scratching the sides with a key) "His new Mercedes was keyed last night in the parking lot"
• S: (v) key (key%2:30:10::) (regulate the musical pitch of)
• S: (v) key (key%2:30:00::) (harmonize with or adjust to) "key one's actions to the voters' prevailing attitude"

Adjective

• S: (adj) cardinal (cardinal%3:00:00:important:00), central (central%3:00:00:important:00), fundamental (fundamental%3:00:00:important:00), key (key%3:00:00:important:00), primal (primal%3:00:00:important:00) (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"