Word a Day
key
What does key mean?
key (noun): metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated.
Definition: Princeton WordNet 3.1.
How do you pronounce key?
/ki/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does key come from?
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.
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Test yourself: do you know “key”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “key” mean?
the rate of motion or action, specifically the magnitude of the velocity; the rate distance is traversed in a given time
Not quite: that's what speed means.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
Right! That's what “key” means.
an affair, condition, or subject, especially one of concern or (especially when preceded by the) one that is problematic
Not quite: that's what matter means.
a round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape
Not quite: that's what spot means.
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