Idioms for key
power of the keys,
the authority of a pope in ecclesiastical matters, vested in him as successor of St. Peter.
Origin of key
1
before 900; Middle English
key(e),
kay(e), Old English
cǣg, cǣge; cognate with Old Frisian
kei, kai
Words nearby key
keweenaw peninsula,
kewl,
kewpie,
kewpie doll,
kex,
key,
key card,
key case,
key club,
key deer,
key drive
British Dictionary definitions for key up (1 of 4)
key up
verb
(tr, adverb)
to raise the intensity, excitement, tension, etc, of
British Dictionary definitions for key up (2 of 4)
key
1
/ (kiː) /
noun
adjective
of great importance; crucial
a key issue
verb (mainly tr)
Derived forms of key
keyless, adjectiveWord Origin for key
Old English
cǣg; related to Old Frisian
kēi, Middle Low German
keie spear
British Dictionary definitions for key up (3 of 4)
British Dictionary definitions for key up (4 of 4)
Key
/ (kiː) /
noun
John (Phillip). born 1961, New Zealand politician; prime minister from 2008
Scientific definitions for key up
key
[ kē ]
See cay.
Cultural definitions for key up
key
The main or central note of a piece of music (or part of a piece of music). Each key has its own scale, beginning and ending on the note that defines the octave of the next scale. The key of C-major uses a scale that starts on C and uses only the white keys of the piano. In a piece composed in the key of C, the music is likely to end on the note C, and certain combinations of notes based on C will predominate.
Idioms and Phrases with key up (1 of 2)
key up
Make intense, excited, or nervous. For example, The excitement of the gallery opening has really keyed her up. This usage alludes to key in the sense of “wind up a spring-driven mechanism such as a clock.” [Late 1800s]
Idioms and Phrases with key up (2 of 2)
key