key

CEFRA1

/kiː/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A small metal object used to open or lock something.

  2. 02

    noun

    An important fact, idea, or feature that helps explain something.

Examples

  • It was careless of you to lose the key.

  • Trust is the key factor in building a successful long-term partnership.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
1

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A crucial step or requirement.

  2. An object designed to open and close a lock.

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To enter information by pressing buttons on a keyboard.

More examples

In context

  • You took the wrong key.

  • The key says that A stands for the accounting department.

  • The key to solving this problem is persistence.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

He inserted the blank into the padlock and turned it to unlock the gate.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English keye, kaye, keiȝe, from Old English cǣġ (“key, solution, experiment”) (whence also Scots key and kay (“key”)), from Anglo-Frisian Proto-West Germanic *kaiju, of uncertain origin. The only sure cognates are Saterland Frisian Koai (“key”), West Frisian kaai (“key”), and North Frisian kai, koie (“key”). Possibly from Proto-Germanic *kēgaz, *kēguz (“stake, post, pole”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵogʰ-, *ǵegʰ-, *ǵegʰn- (“branch, stake, bush”), which would make it cognate with Middle Low German kāk (“whipping post, pillory”), and perhaps to Middle Dutch keige (“javelin, spear”) and Middle Low German keie, keige (“spear”). For the semantic development, note that medieval keys w...