Key
Etymology: Middle English key, kay, keye, from Old English cæg, cæge, cæga; akin to Old Frisian kei, kai, key, Middle Low German keie, keige spear, and perhaps to Old High German kil wedge
1 A small switch for opening or closing an electric circuit
1.1 A metallic lever for rapidly and easily opening and closing the circuit of telegraphic-station equipment
2 An instrument usually of metal so designed that it may be inserted in a lock in order to operate the bolt or catch
3 A tool with a shaft that fits into printers' quoins and is rotated to tighten or loosen them
4 A small metal piece with a slot in one end used to roll up a strip of metal (as on a can of sardines) or to roll up the body of a collapsible metal tube (as a tube of toothpaste)
5 Something that affords or prevents entrance, possession, or control
6 Something that serves to reveal or solve a problem, difficulty, or mystery
6.1 The key to a riddle
7 A simplified version that accompanies something as a clue to its explanation
7.1 An outline map
7.2 A word-for-word translation
7.3 A book containing solutions to problems
7.4 A map legend
8 Spiritual authority in a Christian religion
9 A leading, prominent, or critical individual or principle
9.1 A key actor
9.2 A key feature
10 A component of a liquid mixture that is being separated by fractional distillation
11 The control of a cryptographic process
11.1 A code book
11.2 Cipher alphabet
11.3 The enciphering or deciphering instructions for a cryptogram
12 The lowest note or keynote of a scale
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