As I continue to dig up interesting articles, books and ideas to read about Keys, the internet has clearly been the easiest and most accessible tool for research. As I googled “What is a key” to try and find a book about the history of the key, this amazing list of how the web defines the key came up. Good stuff, perfect for a semantic study on the key.
Definitions of “Key” on the Web
- metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock’s mechanism can be rotated
- something crucial for explaining; “the key to development is economic integration”
- pitch of the voice; “he spoke in a low key”
- any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music
- a kilogram of a narcotic drug; “they were carrying two keys of heroin”
- samara: a winged often one-seed indehiscent fruit as of the ash or elm or maple
- 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)
- a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida
- (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”
- a list of answers to a test; “some students had stolen the key to the final exam”
- identify: identify as in botany or biology, for example
- a list of words or phrases that explain symbols or abbreviations
- provide with a key; “We were keyed after the locks were changed in the building”
- 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”
- vandalize a car by scratching the sides with a key; “His new Mercedes was keyed last night in the parking lot”
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