n. (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"

n. a lever (as in a keyboard) that actuates a mechanism when depressed

n. mechanical device used to wind another device that is driven by a spring (as a clock)

n. something crucial for explaining; "the key to development is economic integration"

n. 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"

n. any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music

n. a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida

n. a winged often one-seed indehiscent fruit as of the ash or elm or maple

n. piece of data used to identify a record

v. identify as in botany or biology, for example

v. harmonize with or adjust to; "key one's actions to the voters' prevailing attitude"

v. provide with a key; "We were keyed after the locks were changed in the building"