a feature (or the order or arrangement of features) of anything having a complex structure; "the contours of the melody"; "it defines a major contour of this administration"
a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
a lever that actuates a mechanism when depressed
pitch of the voice; "he spoke in a low key"
something crucial for explaining; "the key to development is economic integration"
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"
a list of words or phrases that explain symbols or abbreviations
a list of answers to a test; "some students had stolen the key to the final exam"
any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music
(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 coral reef off the southern coast of Florida
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 kilogram of a narcotic drug; "they were carrying two keys of heroin"
harmonize with or adjust to; "key one's actions to the voters' prevailing attitude"
regulate the musical pitch of
vandalize a car by scratching the sides with a key; "His new Mercedes was keyed last night in the parking lot"
provide with a key; "We were keyed after the locks were changed in the building"
a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance
the dead body of a human being; "the cadaver was intended for dissection"; "the end of the police search was the discovery of a corpse"; "the murderer confessed that he threw the stiff in the river"; "honor comes to bless the turf that wraps their clay"
limited in size or scope; "a small business"; "a newspaper with a modest circulation"; "small-scale plans"; "a pocket-size country"
inferior in number or size or amount; "a minor share of the profits"; "Ursa Minor"
lesser in scope or effect; "had minor differences"; "a minor disturbance"
not of legal age; "minor children"
of a scale or mode; "the minor keys"; "in B flat minor"
of your secondary field of academic concentration or specialization
of lesser importance or stature or rank; "a minor poet"; "had a minor part in the play"; "a minor official"; "many of these hardy adventurers were minor noblemen"; "minor back roads"
of lesser seriousness or danger; "suffered only minor injuries"; "some minor flooding"; "a minor tropical disturbance"
United States diplomat who did the groundwork for creating the United Nations (1871-1955)
United States naval officer who commanded the `Constitution' during the War of 1812 and won a series of brilliant victories against the British (1773-1843)
persistent enlarged calyx at base of e.g. a strawberry or raspberry