Nominal Forms
Infinitive: to key
Participle: keyed
Gerund: keying
Cognates
-
Indicative
Present
| I | key |
| you | key |
| he;she;it | keys |
| we | key |
| you | key |
| they | key |
Perfect
| I | have keyed |
| you | have keyed |
| he;she;it | has keyed |
| we | have keyed |
| you | have keyed |
| they | have keyed |
Past
| I | keyed |
| you | keyed |
| he;she;it | keyed |
| we | keyed |
| you | keyed |
| they | keyed |
Pluperfect
| I | had keyed |
| you | had keyed |
| he;she;it | had keyed |
| we | had keyed |
| you | had keyed |
| they | had keyed |
Future
| I | will key |
| you | will key |
| he;she;it | will key |
| we | will key |
| you | will key |
| they | will key |
Future Perfect
| I | will have keyed |
| you | will have keyed |
| he;she;it | will have keyed |
| we | will have keyed |
| you | will have keyed |
| they | will have keyed |
Subjunctive
Present
| I | key |
| you | key |
| he;she;it | key |
| we | key |
| you | key |
| they | key |
Perfect
| I | have keyed |
| you | have keyed |
| he;she;it | have keyed |
| we | have keyed |
| you | have keyed |
| they | have keyed |
Imperfect
| I | keyed |
| you | keyed |
| he;she;it | keyed |
| we | keyed |
| you | keyed |
| they | keyed |
Pluperfect
| I | had keyed |
| you | had keyed |
| he;she;it | had keyed |
| we | had keyed |
| you | had keyed |
| they | had keyed |
Conditional
Present
| I | would key |
| you | would key |
| he;she;it | would key |
| we | would key |
| you | would key |
| they | would key |
Perfect
| I | would have keyed |
| you | would have keyed |
| he;she;it | would have keyed |
| we | would have keyed |
| you | would have keyed |
| they | would have keyed |
Imperative
| you | key |
| we | Let's key |
| you | key |
Verbs conjugated like 'key'
abandon,
abduct,
abear,
aberr,
abject,
abord,
abort,
abound,
abraid,
abray,
abrook,
abscind,
abscond,
absist,
absorb,
abstain,
abstract,
accend,
accent,
accept, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)
Verbs similar to 'key'
fey,
keg,
ken,
ley,
wey,
aken,
bay,
be,
bed,
beg,
Synonyms & Antonyms
Additional Information
Etymology
1. "metal piece that works a lock," from O.E. cæg, of unknown origin, with no certain cognates other than O.Fris. kei. Perhaps related to M.L.G. keie "lance, spear" on notion of "tool to cleave with," from P.Gmc. *ki- "to cleaver, split" (cf. Ger. Keil "wedge," Goth. us-kijans "come forth," said of seed sprouts, keinan "to germinate"). Figurative sense of "that which serves to open or explain" was in O.E.; meaning "that which holds together other parts" is from 1523. Musical sense of "tone, note" is 15c., but modern sense of "scale" is 1590, probably from L. clavis or Fr. clef, from use in the Guidonian system for lowest note of a scale, which is its basis (cf. keynote). Also extended to "mechanism on a musical instrument" (c.1500).
2. 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. The only sure cognates are Saterland Frisian Koai (“key”), West Frisian kaai (“key”), and North Frisian kai, koie (“key”). Possibly from Proto-Germanic *kēgaz, *kēguz (“stake, post, pole”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵogʰ-, *ǵegʰ-, *ǵegʰn- (“branch, stake, bush”), which would make it cognate with Middle Low German kāk (“whipping post, pillory”), and perhaps to Middle Dutch keige (“javelin, spear”) and Middle Low German keie, keige (“spear”).
3. For the semantic development, note that medieval keys were simply long poles (ending in a hook) with which a crossbar obstructing a door from the inside could be removed from the outside, by lifting it through a hole in the door. Liberman has noted, however, "The original meaning of *kaig-jo- was presumably '*pin with a twisted end.' Words with the root *kai- followed by a consonant meaning 'crooked, bent; twisted' are common only in the North Germanic languages."
Sample Sentences
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So I worked on a tissue-paper copy of the perimeter plan, outlining groupings of plants of the same species and keying them with letters for the species. [1996 January, Garden Dsign Ideas, second printing, Taunton Press, →ISBN, page 25:]
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The volume closes with thirty pages of "Notes, critical and explanatory," in which Thomson provides seventy-six longer or shorter notes keyed to specific sections of the synopsis. [2001, Bruce M. Metzger, The Bible in Translation, →ISBN, page 87:]
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Talk about similarities between the words and write them below to the left of the anchor, keying them with a plus sign (+). Talk about the characteristics that set the words apart and list them below the box to the right, keying them with a tilde sign (~). [2002, Karen Bromley, Stretching Students' Vocabulary, →ISBN, page 12:]
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2007, Stephen Blake Mettee, Michelle Doland, and Doris Hall, compilers, The American Directory of Writer's Guidelines, 6th ("2007–2008") edition, →ISBN, page 757,
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Indicate the comparative value of each heading by keying it with a number in pencil, in the left margin, as follows: […]
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Our instructor told us to key in our user IDs.
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He keyed the car that had taken his parking spot.
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The American Heart Association has prepared their own guide to classification and, keying it with the Standard Nomenclature of Diseases, have done much to encourage a concise yet complete diagnosis. [1960, Richard L. Masland, “Classification of the Epilepsies”, in Epilepsia, volume 1, page 516:]
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The workman's compensation system rests on incentives (premium payments) that are keyed to the immediate and relatively undeniable nature of injuries; […] [1976, Nicholas Askounes Ashford, Crisis in the Workplace: Occupational Disease and Injury, page 19:]
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It also features special issues on "Live Longer, Better, Wiser," men's health, women's health, and issues keyed to important "disease weeks." [2006, Deborah Blum, Mary Knudson, Robin Marantz Henig, A Field Guide for Science Writers: The Official Guide of the National Association of Science Writers, page 63:]
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Keying advertisements and counting the number of inquiries received or the number of coupons returned to indicate the "pulling power" of a particular piece of copy or the coverage of a particular advertising medium. [1936, John Freeman Pyle, Marketing Principles, Organization and Policies, page 711:]
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Another popular way to key ads and mailings is to use a suite number, room number, department number, desk number, etc. as part of the ordering address. With a classified ad, using such a key may increase your ad cost. Why? Because you're using an extra word or two to key the ad. [1998, Mail Order Success Secrets:]
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To Ethel alone she addressed a stray remark, keyed below the sound of other voices. [1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, →OCLC, page 23:]
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they Mouldered and keyed the Portico Arches with Pieces of Stone, because Brick was not strong enough [1744, Roger North, The Life of the Honourable Sir Dudley North:]
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The last arch in the permanant ^([sic]) bridge was keyed on March 26, 1850, and a single track was brought into use for goods trains on July 20. [1950 September, “Centenary of the Royal Border Bridge”, in Railway Magazine, page 637:]
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After keying the background, you’d be left with a transparent background, where you can install anything—from images to videos that blend seamlessly into the main subject of the shot. [2021 September 11, Anina Ot, “What Is a Green Screen and How Does It Work?”, in MakeUseOf:]