Key

Even native speakers of English sometimes have trouble with words because of a confusing feature: multiple meanings. If a word is old enough, it probably will have accumulated layers of meaning—sometimes astonishingly contradictory.

Richard from Empire, Michigan, pointed out that such a word is key. The meaning that comes to mind immediately is the notched metal device used to lock or unlock a door or other barrier. From there, it becomes a wild ride. Branching meanings include

• spiritual authority (Matthew 16:19)
• a symbol of office
• a symbol of access, as in key to the city
• a means to a desired objective
• a position with strategic advantages
• a bribe or inducement
• a solution or explanation
• a means of decrypting a code or cipher
• the part of a textbook  that contains solutions
• a list containing an explanation of symbols, abbreviations, etc.
• in botany and zoology, descriptive features used in identification
• an essential element
• in chess, the first move in the solution of a problem
• a central stone in an arch
• a piece of wood or metal that locks parts together
• a dry fruit
• an instrument for turning tuning pegs of a stringed instrument
• an instrument for winding a clock
• a component that opens or closes a valve
• the roughness of a surface that enables plaster to adhere to it
• the free-throw lane and circle in basketball
• a note or a tone
• the tenor of a piece of writing
• the prevailing tones in a painting
• a lever on a musical instrument
• a lever on a telegraph, computer, etc.
• something of crucial importance

Then there’s the key that means a low-lying island or reef and the slang use of key that means a kilogram of an illegal drug,

Now I’m all keyed up.

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