Key, Keys, The Key or The Keys may refer to:

Common uses

Key (cryptography) A key in cryptography is a piece of information, usually a string of numbers or letters that are stored in a file, which, when processed through a cryptographic algorithm, can encode or decode cryptographic data. Based on the used method, the key ...

, a piece of information needed to encode or decode a message *

Key (instrument) A key is a component of a musical instrument, the purpose and function of which depends on the instrument. However, the term is most often used in the context of keyboard instruments, in which case it refers to the exterior part of the instrume ...

, a component of a musical instrument *

Key (lock) A lock is a mechanical or electronic fastening device that is released by a physical object (such as a key, keycard, fingerprint, RFID card, security token or coin), by supplying secret information (such as a number or letter permutation or ...

, a device used to operate a lock * Key (map), a guide to a map's symbology *

Key (music) In music theory, the key of a piece is the group of pitches, or scale, that forms the basis of a musical composition in Western classical music, jazz music, art music, and pop music. A particular key features a '' tonic (main) note'' and ...

, the scale of a piece of music * Key on a

typewriter A typewriter is a Machine, mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of Button (control), keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an i ...

computer keyboard A computer keyboard is a built-in or peripheral input device modeled after the typewriter keyboard which uses an arrangement of buttons or Push-button, keys to act as Mechanical keyboard, mechanical levers or Electronic switching system, electro ...

Arts, entertainment and media

Films

* ''The Key'' (1934 film), an American pre-Code film * ''The Key'' (1958 film), starring William Holden and Sophia Loren * ''The Key'', also known as '' Odd Obsession'', a 1959 Japanese comedy drama * ''The Key'' (1961 film), a Soviet animated feature * ''The Key'' (1965 film), a Croatian omnibus film * ''The Key'' (1971 film), a Czechoslovak drama * ''The Key'' (1983 film), an Italian erotic film * ''The Key'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''The Key'' (2007 film), a French thriller film * ''Key'' (film), a 2011 Telugu-language psychological thriller * ''The Key'' (2014 film), an American erotic drama film

Literature

* ''The Key'' (Curley novel), by Marianne Curley, 2005 * ''The Key'' (Elfgren and Strandberg novel), by Mats Strandberg and Sara Bergmark Elfgren, 2013 * ''The Key'' (Tanizaki novel), by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki, 1956 * "The Key" (short story), by Isaac Asimov, 1966 * ''The Key'', a 1974 children's book by Sheila K. McCullagh, part of the ''

Tim and the Hidden People Tim and the Hidden People by Sheila K. McCullagh is a 1970s and 80's reading scheme, also known as Flightpath to Reading, originally devised for young children and intended for children with a reading age of eight-and-a-half to nine years. It con ...

'' series * ''The Key: A Startling Enquiry into the Riddle of Man's Past'', a 1969 book by

John Philip Cohane John Philip Cohane, born in New Haven, Connecticut was an American author. He later moved to Ireland where he wrote books on etymology and ancient astronaut themes. Books Cohane published ''The Indestructible Irish'' in 1968 in which he proposed ...

* ''The Key'', a magazine published by

Kappa Kappa Gamma Kappa Kappa Gamma (), also known simply as Kappa or KKG, is a collegiate Fraternities and sororities in North America, sorority founded at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois, Monmouth, Illinois, United States. It has a membership of more than ...

* "The Key", a short story by Satyajit Ray * ''The Keys'' (journal), of the League of Coloured Peoples founded in 1933

Music

Bands

The Keys (English band) The Keys were an English, London-based band active from 1979 until 1983. The band was formed by bassist Drew Barfield (later of the Big Heat and Los Pacaminos), guitarist Steve Tatler, Ben Grove, and Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCar ...

, 1979–1983 * The Keys, a Welsh band successor to

Murry the Hump Murry the Hump were a Welsh indie rock and "urban folk" band. They were active from 1999 until 2001. Since then they have continued to release music under the name The Keys (or simply Keys). History The band was formed in Aberystwyth in the ...

Albums

* ''Key'' (Meredith Monk album), 1971 * ''Key'' (Son, Ambulance album), 2004 * ''The Key'' (Joan Armatrading album), 1983 * ''The Key'' (Vince Gill album), 1998 * ''The Key'' (Nocturnus album), 1990 * ''The Key'' (Operation: Mindcrime album), 2015 * ''Keys'' (album), by Alicia Keys, 2021 * ''The Keys'' (EP), by GWSN, 2020

Songs

* "The Key" (Speech Debelle song), 2009 * "The Key" (Matt Goss song), 1995 * "The Key", a song by Ou Est Le Swimming Pool from the 2010 album '' The Golden Year'' * "Key", a song by Band-Maid from the 2014 album '' Maid in Japan'' * "The Key", a 2010 song by

Edita Abdieski Edita Abdieski (born 14 November 1984) is a Swiss pop singer. She rose to fame during the debut series of the German ''X Factor'' show, which she won in November 2010. Early life Abdieski is the eldest child born to a Macedonian Albanian fathe ...

* "Key", a song by C418 from the 2011 album '' Minecraft – Volume Alpha'' * "The Keys", a song by Crazy Town from the 2015 album '' The Brimstone Sluggers'' * "Key", a song by Porter Robinson from the 2017 EP '' Virtual Self''

Television

* "The Key", a ''Code Lyoko'' episode, 2005 * "The Key" (''Fear the Walking Dead''), 2020 * "The Key", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 1), 2006 * "The Key" (''The Walking Dead''), 2018 * "The Key", an episode of ''Yes, Prime Minister'', 1986 * "The Keys" (''Seinfeld''), a 1992 TV episode

Other uses in arts, entertainment and media

* Key (character), a supervillain in the DC Comics universe * Key, the title character of '' Key the Metal Idol'', a Japanese original video animation series * ''The Key'', a painting by

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter. A major figure in the abstract expressionist movement, Pollock was widely noticed for his "Drip painting, drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household ...

People

Key (surname) Key is an English and Dutch-language surname. Notable people with the surname include: *The Flying Keys, Al Key (1905–1976), aviator and mayor of Meridian, Mississippi *Adriaen Thomasz Key (c. 1544 – after 1589), Flemish painter *Alexander Ke ...

, including a list of people with the surname * Keys (surname), including a list of people with the surname * Key (entertainer) (born 1991), South Korean entertainer

Places

Cay A cay ( ), also spelled caye or key, is a small, low-elevation, sandy island on the surface of a coral reef. Cays occur in tropical environments throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian oceans, including in the Caribbean and on the Grea ...

, or key, a small island on the surface of a coral reef ** Key Cay, British Virgin Islands

United States

* Key, Alabama * Key, Ohio * Key, West Virginia * Keys, Oklahoma *

Florida Keys The Florida Keys are a coral island, coral cay archipelago off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost part of the continental United States. They begin at the southeastern coast of the Florida peninsula, about south of Miami a ...

Elsewhere

The Keys, Newfoundland and Labrador The Keys is a settlement located south of Bay Bulls, Newfoundland and Labrador. The Keys is now a part of the town of Bay Bulls, as are the communities of Irishtown, Bread and Cheese, and Gunridge. See also *List of communities in Newfoundland an ...

, Canada * Rural Municipality of Keys No. 303, Saskatchewan, Canada * Key, Iran, a village in Isfahan Province, Iran * Key Island, Tasmania, Australia *

The Key, New Zealand Mararoa is a rural area in New Zealand's Southland District. The area broadly corresponds to the course of the Mararoa River and the eastern part of Te Anau Basin, and includes the Mavora Lakes and the settlement of Manapouri. The local prim ...

, a locality of Mararoa, New Zealand

Science and technology

Candidate key A candidate key, or simply a key, of a relational database is any set of columns that have a unique combination of values in each row, with the additional constraint that removing any column could produce duplicate combinations of values. A candi ...

, or simply a key, in relational database management systems **

Unique key In relational database management systems, a unique key is a candidate key. All the candidate keys of a relation can uniquely identify the records of the relation, but only one of them is used as the primary key of the relation. The remaining candi ...

Key (engineering) In mechanical engineering, a key is a machine element used to connect a rotating machine element to a Drive shaft, shaft. The key prevents relative rotation between the two parts and may enable torque transmission. For a key to function, the shaft ...

, a machine element used to connect a rotating machine element to a shaft * KeY, a tool is used in formal verification of Java programs * The Key (smartcard), a British smartcard for public transport ticketing * .key, file extension used by Keynote presentation software *

Identification key In biology, an identification key, taxonomic key, or frequently just key, is a printed or computer-aided device that aids in the identification of biological organisms. Historically, the most common type of identification key is the dichotomous k ...

, used to identify biological entities *

Telegraph key A telegraph key, clacker, tapper or morse key is a specialized electrical switch used by a trained operator to transmit text messages in Morse code in a telegraphy system. Keys are used in all forms of electrical telegraph systems, includ ...

, or Morse key, a specialized electrical switch

Sports

Key (basketball) The key, officially referred to as the free throw lane by the National Basketball Association (NBA) (and Euroleague), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Natio ...

, a marked area on a basketball court * Frederick Keys, an American baseball team

Other uses

Key (company) Key is a Japanese visual novel studio known for making dramatic and plot-oriented titles. It was formed on July 21, 1998, as a brand under the publisher Visual Arts (company), Visual Arts, and is located in Kita-ku, Osaka, Kita, Osaka Prefecture ...

, a Japanese visual novel studio * Key Airlines, an American former airline * Key School, in Annapolis, Maryland, U.S. * Keys, a truce term used in western Scotland * Amazon Key, a service by Amazon Prime *

House of Keys The House of Keys () is the directly elected lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man, the other branch being the Legislative Council. History The oldest known reference to the name is in a document of 1417, written in Lat ...

, the lower branch of the parliament of the Isle of Man *

Samara (fruit) A samara (, ) is a winged achene, a type of fruit in which a flattened wing of fibrous, papery tissue develops from the ovary wall. A samara is a Simple fruit, simple dry fruits, dry fruit, and is Dehiscence (botany), indehiscent (not Dehiscen ...

, or key, a type of fruit * Yeoman Warders Club in the Tower of London, or "The Keys" * KeyBank, an American regional bank based in Cleveland, Ohio