A key is a button used to activate a function.
A key is a button, part or device that allows you to activate some function . Keys are present on numerous electronic or electrical devices and are usually pressed with a finger. For example: “A key on my phone broke,” “I can't find the delete key on this keyboard,” “The front panel of my new car has so many keys that it's hard for me to remember each function.”
When determining the etymological origin of the term, we have to make clear that it is found in the sum of two words belonging to different languages. Specifically, we must indicate that it is the result of the union of the Latin word thecula , which can be translated as "small box" , and the Arabic word tagra , which is synonymous with "bowl" .
Among the many devices that have been or are part of our lives and that have keys, we would have to highlight calculators, mobile phones, television controls, typewriters, ATMs...
Key Operation
The logic of electronic devices indicates that the keys work like an electrical switch with two contacts: one executes a function and the other performs the reverse function. If the key is pressed, the function is open; If the key is not pressed, the function is closed.
In addition to physical or traditional keys, there are virtual keys that appear on touch screens. This type of key usually appears on automatic teller machines or ATMs, in which the user must press the screen to choose between different options (request the balance of an account, withdraw money , etc.).
The overcrowding of keys can cause problems for the user, who becomes disoriented in the face of so many possibilities. That is why it is common for devices to try to show only the keys that are essential for their use.
Many musical instruments have keys.
The concept in computing and music
In the field of computing , keys are the pieces assembled on the keyboard that contain letters, numbers or signs. These keys allow you to enter information into a computer : “I want to buy a keyboard that includes the Ñ key.”
In any computer we have to make it clear that the keyboard is made up of various clearly delimited areas. Thus, there are the function keys, which are those that allow you to directly carry out a task; the alphanumeric keys, which are those for letters and numbers; the number keys, which have the numbers arranged like a calculator; and special keys, including, for example, the direction arrows to move around the entire screen.
Some musical instruments, finally, also contain keys that, when pressed, emit sound: the piano keys , the organ keys .
Other uses of the term key
However, we cannot ignore the existence of another meaning for the term key in question. Thus, for example, in Peru that same word is used to refer to an old woman .
In addition to all of the above, it is worth highlighting that there are different colloquial expressions that use this term key. One of them would be to “give someone the key” . It is a verbal expression that makes it clear that the person has made the right decision when carrying out a specific action.