源etymfun
About

Etymology data from Wiktionary via Wiktextract (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chinese character data from the 說文解字, the Taiwan MOE 國語辭典簡編本 (CC BY-ND 3.0 TW) and HSK/TOCFL lists.

Explanations are written by a local model (gemma4) and only published after a verification pass against the cited sources. How it works.

English

key

/kiː/
An object designed to open and close a lock or to activate or deactivate something, especially a length of metal inserted into a narrow opening on the lock to which it is matched (keyed).

    Etymology graph

    • inherited
    • borrowed
    • derived
    • parts
    • meaning component
    • sound component
    • related
    React Flow
    Press enter or space to select a node. You can then use the arrow keys to move the node around. Press delete to remove it and escape to cancel.
    Press enter or space to select an edge. You can then press delete to remove it or escape to cancel.

    Click a node to zoom in · double-click to open it

    Origin

    Etymology 1

    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”).

    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."

    Etymology 2

    Variant of cay, from Spanish cayo, from Taíno cayo (“small island”)

    Etymology 3

    Clipping of kilogram or kilo.

    Etymology 5

    Clipping of key position.

    From Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

    Lineage

    • inheritedMiddle Englishkeye
      • inheritedOld Englishcǣġ “key, solution, experiment”
        • inheritedProto-West Germanic*kaiju
          • derivedProto-Germanic*kēgaz
            • derivedProto-Indo-European*ǵogʰ-
        • derivedOld EnglishAnglo-Frisian
    • derivedSpanishcayo
      • derivedTaínocayo “small island”
    • derivedEnglishkilogram,kilo

    Related: Scots key, Saterland Frisian Koai, West Frisian kaai, North Frisian kai, Middle Low German kāk, Middle Dutch keige, Middle Low German keie

    Meanings

    noun
    1. An object designed to open and close a lock or to activate or deactivate something, especially a length of metal inserted into a narrow opening on the lock to which it is matched (keyed).
    2. A card or fob that electronically signals a lock to open.
    3. A piece of information (e.g., a password or passphrase) used to encode or decode a message or messages.
    4. A password restricting access to an IRC channel.
    5. A key bump (A portion of a recreational drug in powdered form that is snorted from a key or similar small object.)
    6. Any of various tools comparable to a wrench (spanner) or driver, which have a specialized end that matches a fixture, analogously to a lock's key.
    adj
    1. Indispensable, supremely important.
    2. Important, salient.
    verb
    1. To fit (a lock) with a key.
    2. To fit (pieces of a mechanical assembly) with a key to maintain the orientation between them.
    3. To mark or indicate with a symbol indicating membership in a class.
    4. To depress (a telegraph key).
    5. To operate (the transmitter switch of a two-way radio).
    6. (more usually to key in) To enter (information) by typing on a keyboard or keypad.

    Sources

    • Wiktionary (via Wiktextract / kaikki.org) — CC BY-SA 4.0
    • Wiktionary: key