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key
key1 / kē/ • n. (pl. keys ) 1. a small piece of shaped metal with incisions cut to fit the wards of a particular lock, and that is inserted into a lock and turned to open or close it. ∎ a similar implement for operating a switch in the form of a lock, esp. one operating the ignition of a motor vehicle. ∎ short for key card. ∎ an instrument for grasping and turning a screw, peg, or nut, esp. one for winding a clock or turning a valve. ∎ a pin, bolt, or wedge inserted between other pieces, or fitting into a hole or space designed for it, so as to lock parts together. 2. one of several buttons on a panel for operating a typewriter, word processor, or computer terminal. ∎ a lever depressed by the finger in playing an instrument such as the organ, piano, flute, or concertina. ∎ a lever operating a mechanical device for making or breaking an electric circuit, for example, in telegraphy. 3. a thing that provides a means of gaining access to or understanding something: the key to Jack’s behavior may lie submerged in his unhappy past. ∎ an explanatory list of symbols used in a map, table, etc. ∎ a set of answers to exercises or problems. ∎ a word or system for solving a cipher or code. ∎ the first move in the solution of a chess problem. ∎ Comput. a field in a record that is used to identify that record uniquely. 4. Mus. a group of notes based on a particular note and comprising a scale, regarded as forming the tonal basis of a piece or passage of music: the key of E minor. ∎ the tone or pitch of someone's voice: his voice had changed to a lower key. 5. the dry winged fruit of an ash, maple, or sycamore maple, typically growing in bunches; a samara. 6. Basketball the keyhole-shaped area marked on the court near each basket, comprising the free-throw circle and the foul line. • adj. of paramount or crucial importance: she became a key figure in the suffragette movement. • v. (keys, keyed / kēd/ ) [tr.] 1. enter or operate on (data) by means of a computer keyboard: she keyed in a series of commands | [intr.] a hacker caused considerable disruption after keying into a vital database. 2. [tr.] (usu. be keyed) fasten (something) in position with a pin, wedge, or bolt: the coils may be keyed into the slots by fiber wedges. ∎ (key something to) make something fit in with or be linked to: this optimism is keyed to the possibility that the U.S. might lead in the research field. ∎ (key someone/something into/in with) cause someone or something to be in harmony with: to those who are keyed into his lunatic sense of humor, the arrival of any Bergman movie is a major comic event. 3. word (an advertisement in a particular periodical), typically by varying the form of the address given, so as to identify the publication generating particular responses. 4. inf. be the crucial factor in achieving: Ewing keyed a 73–35 advantage on the boards with twenty rebounds. 5. [tr.] vandalize a car by scraping the paint from it with a key: somebody could key your car and not get punished. PHRASES: in (or out of) key in (or out of) harmony: this vaguely uplifting conclusion is out of key with the body of his book.PHRASAL VERBS: key someone up (usu. be keyed up) make someone nervous, tense, or excited, esp. before an important event.DERIVATIVES: keyed adj.key·er n.key·less adj.key2 • n. a low-lying island or reef, esp. in the Caribbean. Compare with cay. |
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"key." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "key." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-key005.html "key." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-key005.html |
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key
key1 In music, term used to indicate the scale from which the tonal material of a given composition is derived. To say, for example, that a composition is in the key of C major means that it uses as its basic tonal material the tones of that scale which is associated with C major, and that its harmony employs the chords built on the tones of that scale. C is then the keynote, and the C major triad, or the notes CEG, the tonic chord of the composition. In addition to the seven tones of the C major scale, however, the remaining five tones of the chromatic scale may appear as auxiliary tones, and chords may be borrowed from other keys. Modulation to another key may take place, but if there is a return to the original key the whole composition is said to be in the key of C. At the beginning of a composition, its key is usually indicated by a key signature (see musical notation ). A term usually used synonymously with key is tonality . Absence of a feeling of key is called atonality . The concept of keynotes was developed gradually during the 16th and 17th cent. and its partial or total abandonment was a feature of the modernism of the early and mid-20th cent. Polytonality, the employment of two or more keys simultaneously, has been used by some 20th-century composers. 2 Also in music, in reference to musical instruments the term key refers to a lever depressed by the player's finger or, in the case of the pedal keyboard of the organ, the foot. In woodwind instruments the keys control covers on the holes that shorten the vibrating column of air. In brass winds they control the valves that lower the pitch of the instrument by lengthening the tube. |
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"key." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "key." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-key-mus.html "key." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-key-mus.html |
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key
key.
1. As a principle in mus. comp., implies adherence, in any passage, to the note-material of one of the major or minor scales (see scale)—not necessarily a rigid adherence (since other notes may incidentally appear), but a general adherence, with a recognition of the tonic (or key-note) of the scale in question as a principal and governing factor in its effect. For instance we speak of a passage as being ‘in the key of’ C major, or F minor, and also use the same terms to describe a comp. (or movement) as a whole—in this latter case implying merely that the key mentioned is that in which the piece begins and sometimes but not always (e.g. Mahler) ends and is its governing one (see modulation). If a piece in several movements is so spoken of it does not necessarily mean more than that the first movement (usually also the last one) is in that key. The element of key crept into European mus. in the early 17th cent., as the modes gradually fell out of use: it remained of supreme importance to the end of the 19th cent. but in the 20th cent., many composers, led by Schoenberg, have abandoned tonality. See atonal. 2. A lever on an instr. which is depressed by finger or foot to produce a note, e.g. on a pf. by finger, on an org. by foot, on woodwind by finger (the levers covering the airholes). |
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MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "key." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "key." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-key.html MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE. "key." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O76-key.html |
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key
key
1. A set of characters used in the ENCRYPTION of a message. The key is used to vary the ALGORITHM used to transform the message into a form in which it cannot be read by an unauthorized person. For example, a very simple use of a key would be a sequence of character pairs where, when the first character in a pair is encountered in a text, it is replaced by the second character. Once a message has been encrypted it is sent to its recipient who then uses the key for DECRYPTION, returning the message to its original form. See also PUBLIC KEY, PRIVATE KEY, and SYMMETRIC KEY ENCRYPTION. 2. A unique set of characters that identify a record in a FILE. For example, in a file containing employee records, each employee is associated with a unique works number which acts as a key. |
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DARREL INCE. "key." A Dictionary of the Internet. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DARREL INCE. "key." A Dictionary of the Internet. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O12-key.html DARREL INCE. "key." A Dictionary of the Internet. 2001. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O12-key.html |
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key
key A symbol of authority as in Isa. 22: 22 and as when Peter was given the keys of the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 16: 18) as the reward for his stumbling confession of the Messiahship of Jesus. The privileges would seem to be that of admitting persons into the Kingdom; certainly at Pentecost (Acts 2: 41) Peter admitted many into the Church in response to faith. Peter's authority is further explained as that of binding and loosing, which was a rabbinic term for forbidding and allowing, i.e. interpreting questions of right and wrong; a privilege extended to others, such as Paul.
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W. R. F. BROWNING. "key." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. W. R. F. BROWNING. "key." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-key.html W. R. F. BROWNING. "key." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-key.html |
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key
key (identification key) A means of identifying a specimen organism by selecting from a series of choices relating to external features. Each stage in the key presents several character descriptions (two in a dichotomous key); each description is followed by a direction to another stage in the key. Selection of the character that matches the specimen leads to another stage, with another two choices, and so on until the specimen is identified.
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"key." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "key." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-key.html "key." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-key.html |
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key
key
1. A value used to identify a member of a set. Usually the elements of the set are records (n-tuples), in which one of the fields holds the key. Variations allow multiple key fields or any field to be used as a key. 2. A value used to establish authority to access particular information. See locks and keys. 3. A value used as a basis for encryption. See cryptography. 4. See keyboard. |
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JOHN DAINTITH. "key." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN DAINTITH. "key." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O11-key.html JOHN DAINTITH. "key." A Dictionary of Computing. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O11-key.html |
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key
key In music, term used to indicate tonality in a composition, based on one of the major or minor scales. The key of a piece of music is indicated by the key signature at the left hand end of the stave. The key of a passage may, however, change by the addition of accidentals before prescribed notes; a change of key is known as a modulation.
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"key." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "key." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-key.html "key." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-key.html |
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key
key, or cay, from the Spanish cayos, rocks, a small islet in the West Indies covered with scrub or sparse vegetation. The name was introduced into the English language by the buccaneers who infested that area in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. They are sometimes coral formations, sometimes outcrops of sand and rock.
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"key." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "key." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-key.html "key." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-key.html |
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key
key a key (representing one's own key to a house) is often used as a symbol on a coming-of-age card.
Keys are the emblem of St Peter (see Peter1), St Petronilla, an early Roman martyr whose fictional legend makes her the daughter of St Peter, St Martha, and St Zita, a 13th-century Luccan serving-maid. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "key." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "key." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-key.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "key." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-key.html |
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key
key. Rough surface of brick, stone, etc., the interstices of which, being entered by plaster or stucco, cause a sound adherence of one material to the other.
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JAMES STEVENS CURL. "key." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES STEVENS CURL. "key." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-key.html JAMES STEVENS CURL. "key." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-key.html |
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key
key n.
1. an explanatory list of symbols used in a map, table, etc. 2. a word or system for solving a cipher or code. keyed adj. keyer n. keyless adj. |
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"key." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "key." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-key.html "key." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-key.html |
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Keys
Keys pl. of KEY in spec. application to the 24 members forming the elective branch of the legislature of the Isle of Man, more fully House of Keys. XV.
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T. F. HOAD. "Keys." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "Keys." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-Keys.html T. F. HOAD. "Keys." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-Keys.html |
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key
key instrument to lock and unlock. OE. cǣġ(e) = OFris. kei, kay; of unkn. orig.
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "key." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "key." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-key.html T. F. HOAD. "key." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-key.html |
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key
key in mechanics: see lock and key . |
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"key." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "key." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-key-mec.html "key." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-key-mec.html |
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key
key •absentee, addressee, adoptee, agree, allottee, amputee, appellee, appointee, appraisee, après-ski, assignee, attendee, bailee, bain-marie, Bangui, bargee, bawbee, be, Bea, bee, bootee, bouquet garni, bourgeoisie, Brie, BSc, buckshee, Capri, cc, chimpanzee, cohabitee, conferee, consignee, consultee, Cree, debauchee, decree, dedicatee, Dee, degree, deportee, dernier cri, detainee, devisee, devotee, divorcee, draftee, dree, Dundee, dungaree, eau-de-vie, emcee, employee, endorsee, en famille, ennui, enrollee, escapee, esprit, evacuee, examinee, expellee, fee, fiddle-de-dee, flea, flee, fleur-de-lis, foresee, franchisee, free, fusee (US fuzee), Gardaí, garnishee, gee, ghee, glee, goatee, grandee, Grand Prix, grantee, Guarani, guarantee, he, indictee, inductee, internee, interviewee, invitee, jamboree, Jaycee, jeu d'esprit, key, knee, Lea, lee, legatee, Leigh, lessee, Ley, licensee, loanee, lychee, manatee, Manichee, maquis, Marie, marquee, me, Midi, mortgagee, MSc, nominee, obligee, Otomi, parolee, Parsee, parti pris, patentee, Pawnee, payee, pea, pee, permittee, plc, plea, pledgee, pollee, presentee, promisee, quay, ratatouille, referee, refugee, releasee, repartee, retiree, returnee, rupee, scot-free, scree, sea, secondee, see, settee, Shanxi, Shawnee, shchi, she, shea, si, sirree, ski, spree, standee, suttee, tant pis, tea, tee, tee-hee, Tennessee, testee, the, thee, three, thuggee, Tiree, Torquay, trainee, Tralee, transferee, tree, Trincomalee, trustee, tutee, twee, Twi, undersea, vestee, vis-à-vis, wagon-lit, Waikiki, warrantee, we, wee, whee, whoopee, ye, yippee, Zuider Zee
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"key." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "key." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-key.html "key." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-key.html |
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Keys
Keys •Achinese, Ambonese, appease, Assamese, Balinese, Belize, Beninese, Bernese, bêtise, Bhutanese, breeze, Burmese, Cantonese, Castries, cerise, cheese, chemise, Chinese, Cingalese, Cleese, Congolese, Denise, Dodecanese, ease, éminence grise, expertise, Faroese, freeze, Fries, frieze, Gabonese, Genoese, Goanese, Guyanese, he's, Japanese, Javanese, jeez, journalese, Kanarese, Keys, Lebanese, lees, legalese, Louise, Macanese, Madurese, Maltese, marquise, Milanese, Nepalese, Nipponese, officialese, overseas, pease, Pekinese, Peloponnese, Piedmontese, please, Portuguese, Pyrenees, reprise, Rwandese, seise, seize, Senegalese, she's, Siamese, Sienese, Sikkimese, Sinhalese, sleaze, sneeze, squeeze, Stockton-on-Tees, Sudanese, Sundanese, Surinamese, Tabriz, Taiwanese, tease, Tees, telegraphese, these, Timorese, Togolese, trapeze, valise, Viennese, Vietnamese, vocalese, wheeze
•superficies • Héloïse • Averroës
•rabies • pubes • Maccabees
•headcheese
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Cite this article
"Keys." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Keys." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Keys.html "Keys." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Keys.html |
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KEY
KEY (kiː) keep extending yourself
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FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "KEY." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "KEY." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-KEY.html FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "KEY." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-KEY.html |
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