Consonants and Vowels...

As I go on my journey that is my life, I am inclined to write about experiences or feelings, share pics, recipes, ideas, oh just whatever may pop into my cluttered brain. Feel free to read and or share if you so desire...

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Key

Main Entry:

Pronunciation:
\ˈkē\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Middle English, from Old English cǣg; akin to OldFrisian kēi key
Date:
before 12th century

1 a: a usually metal instrument by which the bolt of a lock is turned
b: any of various devices having the form or function of such a key

2 a: a means of gaining or preventing entrance, possession, or control
b: an instrumental or deciding factor

3 a: something that gives an explanation or identification or provides a solution
b: a list of words or phrases giving an explanation of symbols or abbreviations
c: an aid to interpretation or identification : clue
d: an arrangement of the salient characters of a group of plants or animals or of taxa designed to facilitate identification e: a map legend

4 a (1): cotter pin (2): cotter
b: a keystone in an arch
c: a small piece of wood or metal used as a wedge or for preventing motion between parts

5 a: one of the levers of a keyboard musical instrument that actuates the mechanism and produces the tones
b: a lever that controls a vent in the side of a woodwind instrument or a valve in a brass instrument
c: a part to be depressed by a finger that serves as one unit of a keyboard

6: samara

7: a system of tones and harmonies generated from a hierarchical scale of seven tones based on a tonic

8 a: characteristic style or tone
b: the tone or pitch of a voice
c: the predominant tone of a photograph with respect to its lightness or darkness

9: a decoration or charm resembling a key

10: a small switch for opening or closing an electric circuit

11: the set of instructions governing the encipherment and decipherment of messages

12: a free-throw area in basketball

3 comments:

Unknown said...

What's great about this quote is that there are so many amazing definitions of "key" all that it is and all that it means. Thank you for the fun and insightful read.
G~*

Lunar Earth Mama said...

I love keys and the word as well and the word as a metaphor, I have a neat key necklace. I would love to get a collection of old skeleton keys.

Waiting for yet more info about your dream...

SunTiger said...

I'm curious to learn your motivation for posting the relevant definitions. Certainly they're all thought provoking (in and of the definitions themselves) but what in you inspired this entry?