The noun key has 15 senses (first 4 from tagged texts)
1. (14) 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. (4) key -- (something crucial for explaining; "the key to development is economic integration")
3. (2) key -- (pitch of the voice; "he spoke in a low key")
4. (1) key, tonality -- (any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music)
5. key -- (a kilogram of a narcotic drug; "they were carrying two keys of heroin")
6. samara, key fruit, key -- (a winged often one-seed indehiscent fruit as of the ash or elm or maple)
7. Key, Francis Scott 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))
8. key, cay, Florida key -- (a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida)
9. key, paint -- ((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")
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. winder, key -- (mechanical device used to wind another device that is driven by a spring (as a clock))
14. keystone, key, headstone -- (the central building block at the top of an arch or vault)
15. key -- (a lever that actuates a mechanism when depressed)
Overview of verb key
The verb key has 5 senses (first 1 from tagged texts)
1. (1) identify, discover, key, key out, distinguish, describe, name -- (identify as in botany or biology, for example)
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")
Overview of adj key
The adj key has 2 senses (first 1 from tagged texts)
1. (8) cardinal, central, fundamental, key, primal -- (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")
2. operative, key -- (effective; producing a desired effect; "the operative word")