Keck, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Kecked p. pr. & vb. n. Kecking.] [Cf. dial. G. köcken, köken.] To heave or to retch, as in an effort to vomit. [R.] Swift.

Keck, n. An effort to vomit; queasiness. [R.]

Keckle
Kec´kle, v. i. & n. See Keck, v. i. & n.

Keckle
Kec´kle, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Keckled p. pr. & vb. n. Keckling ] (Naut.) To wind old rope around, as a cable, to preserve its surface from being fretted, or to wind iron chains around, to defend from the friction of a rocky bottom, or from the ice. Totten.

Kecksy
Keck´sy, n. ; pl. Kecksies (-siz). [Properly pl. of kex. See Kex.] (Bot.) The hollow stalk of an umbelliferous plant, such as the cow parsnip or the hemlock. [Written also kex, and in pl., kecks, kaxes.]
"Nothing teems But hateful docks, rough thistles, kecksies, burs." Shak.

Keddah
Ked´dah, n. [Malay kedah, fr. Ar. qadah hole.] An inclosure constructed to entrap wild elephants; an elephant trap. [India]

Kedge (kej), v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Kedged (kejd); p. pr. & vb. n. Kedging.] [Cf. dial. Sw. keka to tug, to drag one’s self slowly forward; or perh. fr. ked, and kedge, n. , for keg anchor, named from the keg or cask fastened to the anchor to show where it lies.] (Naut.) To move (a vessel) by carrying out a kedge in a boat, dropping it overboard, and hauling the vessel up to it.

Kedge, n. [See Kedge, v. t.] (Naut.) A small anchor used whenever a large one can be dispensed with. See Kedge, v. t., and Anchor, n.

Kedlock
Ked´lock (ked"lok), n. [Cf. dial. G. köddik, küdik, kettich, keek, Dan. kidike, E. charlock, and AS. cedelc the herb mercury.] (Bot.) See Charlock.

Keel (kel), v. t. & i. [AS. celan to cool, fr. col cool. See Cool.] To cool; to skim or stir. [Obs.]
"While greasy Joan doth keel the pot." Shak.

Keel, n. A brewer’s cooling vat; a keelfat.

Keel, n. [Cf. AS. ceól ship; akin to D. & G. kiel keel, OHG. chiol ship, Icel. kjoll, and perh. to Gr. gay^los a round-built Phœnician merchant vessel, gaylo•s bucket; cf. Skr. gola ball, round water vessel. But the meaning of the English word seems to come from Icel. kjölr keel, akin to Sw. köl, Dan. kjöl.]
1. (Shipbuilding) A longitudinal timber, or series of timbers scarfed together, extending from stem to stern along the bottom of a vessel. It is the principal timber of the vessel, and, by means of the ribs attached on each side, supports the vessel’s frame. In an iron vessel, a combination of plates supplies the place of the keel of a wooden ship. See Illust. of Keelson.
2. Fig.: The whole ship.
3. A barge or lighter, used on the Tyne for carrying coal from Newcastle; also a barge load of coal, twenty-one tons, four cwt. [Eng.]
4. (Bot.) The two lowest petals of the corolla of a papilionaceous flower, united and inclosing the stamens and pistil; a carina. See Carina.
5. (Nat. Hist.) A projecting ridge along the middle of a flat or curved surface. Bilge keel (Naut.), a keel peculiar to ironclad vessels, extending only a portion of the length of the vessel under the bilges. Ham. Nav. Encyc. — False keel. See under False. — Keel boat. (a) A covered freight boat, with a keel, but no sails, used on Western rivers. [U. S.] (b) A low, flat-bottomed freight boat. See Keel, n. , 3. — Keel piece, one of the timbers or sections of which a keel is composed. — On even keel, in a level or horizontal position, so that the draught of water at the stern and the bow is the same. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Keel, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Keeled p. pr. & vb. n. Keeling.]
1. To traverse with a keel; to navigate.
2. To turn up the keel; to show the bottom. To keel over, to upset; to capsize. [Colloq.]

Keel, n. (Aëronautics) In a dirigible, a construction similar in form and use to a ship’s keel; in an aëroplane, a fin or fixed surface employed to increase stability and to hold the machine to its course.

Keelage
Keel´age, n. [Cf. F. guillage, fr. guille keel; of German or Scand origin. See 3d Keel.] The right of demanding a duty or toll for a ship entering a port; also the duty or toll. Bouvier. Wharton.

Keeler
Keel´er, n. [See 3d Keel.]
1. One employed in managing a Newcastle keel; — called also keelman.
2. A small or shallow tub; esp., one used for holding materials for calking ships, or one used for washing dishes, etc.

Keelhaul
Keel´haul, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Keelhauled p. pr. & vb. n. Keelhauling.] [ 3d keel + haul: cf. LG. & D. kielhalen, G. kielholen. ] [Written also keelhale.] (Naut.) To haul under the keel of a ship, by ropes attached to the yardarms on each side. It was formerly practiced as a punishment in the Dutch and English navies. Totten.

Keelivine
Kee´li•vine, n. [Cf. Gael. cil ruddle.] A pencil of black or red lead; — called also keelyvine pen. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

Keelman
Keel´man, n. ; pl. - men . See Keeler, 1.

Keelvat
Keel´vat (kel"vat•), n. See Keelfat.

Keener
Keen´er, n. A professional mourner who wails at a funeral. [Ireland]

Keenly
Keen´ly, adv. In a keen manner.

Keenness
Keen´ness, n. The quality or state of being keen.

Keep (kep), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Kept (kept); p. pr. & vb. n. Keeping.] [OE. kepen, AS. cepan to keep, regard, desire, await, take, betake; cf. AS. copenere lover, OE. copnien to desire.]
1. To care; to desire. [Obs.]
"I kepe not of armes for to yelp [boast]." Chaucer.
2. To hold; to restrain from departure or removal; not to let go of; to retain in one’s power or possession; not to lose; to retain; to detain.
"If we lose the field, We can not keep the town." Shak.
"That I may know what keeps me here with you." Dryden.
"If we would weigh and keep in our minds what we are considering, that would instruct us." Locke.
3. To cause to remain in a given situation or condition; to maintain unchanged; to hold or preserve in any state or tenor.
"His loyalty he kept, his love, his zeal." Milton.
"Keep a stiff rein, and move but gently on." Addison. In this sense it is often used with prepositions and adverbs, as to keep away, to keep down, to keep from, to keep in, out, or off, etc. "To keep off impertinence and solicitation from his superior." Addison.
4. To have in custody; to have in some place for preservation; to take charge of.
"The crown of Stephanus, first king of Hungary, was always kept in the castle of Vicegrade." Knolles.
5. To preserve from danger, harm, or loss; to guard.
"Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee." Gen. xxviii. 15.
6. To preserve from discovery or publicity; not to communicate, reveal, or betray, as a secret.
"Great are thy virtues … though kept from man." Milton.
7. To attend upon; to have the care of; to tend.
"And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it." Gen. ii. 15.
"In her girlish age, she kept sheep on the moor." Carew.
8. To record transactions, accounts, or events in; as to keep books, a journal, etc.; also to enter (as accounts, records, etc. ) in a book.
9. To maintain, as an establishment, institution, or the like; to conduct; to manage; as to keep store.
"Like a pedant that keeps a school." Shak.
"Every one of them kept house by himself." Hayward.
10. To supply with necessaries of life; to entertain; as to keep boarders.
11. To have in one’s service; to have and maintain, as an assistant, a servant, a mistress, a horse, etc.
"I keep but three men and a boy." Shak.
12. To have habitually in stock for sale.
13. To continue in, as a course or mode of action; not to intermit or fall from; to hold to; to maintain; as to keep silence; to keep one’s word; to keep possession.
"Both day and night did we keep company." Shak.
"Within this portal as I kept my watch." Smollett.
14. To observe; to adhere to; to fulfill; not to swerve from or violate; to practice or perform, as duty; not to neglect; to be faithful to.
"I have kept the faith." 2 Tim. iv. 7.
"Him whom to love is to obey, and keep His great command." Milton.
15. To confine one’s self to; not to quit; to remain in; as to keep one’s house, room, bed, etc.; hence, to haunt; to frequent. Shak.
"’Tis hallowed ground; Fairies, and fawns, and satyrs do it keep." J. Fletcher.
16. To observe duly, as a festival, etc.; to celebrate; to solemnize; as to keep a feast.
"I went with them to the house of God … with a multitude that kept holyday." Ps. xlii. 4.To keep at arm’s length. See under Arm, n. — To keep back. (a) To reserve; to withhold. "I will keep nothing back from you." Jer. xlii. 4. (b) To restrain; to hold back. "Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins." Ps. xix. 13. — To keep company with. (a) To frequent the society of; to associate with; as let youth keep company with the wise and good. (b) To accompany; to go with; as to keep company with one on a voyage; also to pay court to, or accept attentions from, with a view to marriage. [Colloq.] — To keep counsel. See under Counsel, n. — To keep down. (a) To hold in subjection; to restrain; to hinder. (b) (Fine Arts) To subdue in tint or tone, as a portion of a picture, so that the spectator’s attention may not be diverted from the more important parts of the work. — To keep good (or badhours, to be customarily early (or late) in returning home or in retiring to rest. — To keep house. (a) To occupy a separate house or establishment, as with one’s family, as distinguished from boarding; to manage domestic affairs. (b) (Eng. Bankrupt Law) To seclude one’s self in one’s house in order to evade the demands of creditors. — To keep one’s hand in, to keep in practice. — To keep open house, to be hospitable. — To keep the peace (Law), to avoid or to prevent a breach of the peace. — To keep school, to govern, manage and instruct or teach a school, as a preceptor. — To keep a stiff upper lip, to keep up one’s courage. [Slang] — To keep term. (a) (Eng. Universities) To reside during a term. (b) (Inns of Court) To eat a sufficient number of dinners in hall to make the term count for the purpose of being called to the bar. [Eng.] Mozley & W. — To keep touch. See under Touch, n. — To keep under, to hold in subjection; hence, to oppress. — To keep up. (a) To maintain; to prevent from falling or diminution; as to keep up the price of goods; to keep up one’s credit. (b) To maintain; to continue; to prevent from ceasing. "In joy, that which keeps up the action is the desire to continue it." Locke.
Syn. — To retain; detain; reserve; preserve; hold; restrain; maintain; sustain; support; withhold. — To Keep. Retain, Preserve. Keep is the generic term, and is often used where retain or preserve would too much restrict the meaning; as to keep silence, etc. Retain denotes that we keep or hold things, as against influences which might deprive us of them, or reasons which might lead us to give them up; as to retain vivacity in old age; to retain counsel in a lawsuit; to retain one’s servant after a reverse of fortune. Preserve denotes that we keep a thing against agencies which might lead to its being destroyed or broken in upon; as to preserve one’s health; to preserve appearances.

Keep, v. i.
1. To remain in any position or state; to continue; to abide; to stay; as to keep at a distance; to keep aloft; to keep near; to keep in the house; to keep before or behind; to keep in favor; to keep out of company, or out reach.
2. To last; to endure; to remain unimpaired.
"If the malt be not thoroughly dried, the ale it makes will not keep." Mortimer.
3. To reside for a time; to lodge; to dwell. [Now disused except locally or colloquially.]
"Knock at his study, where, they say, he keeps." Shak.
4. To take care; to be solicitous; to watch. [Obs.]
"Keep that the lusts choke not the word of God that is in us." Tyndale.
5. To be in session; as school keeps to-day. [Colloq.] To keep from, to abstain or refrain from. — To keep in with, to keep on good terms with; as to keep in with an opponent. — To keep on, to go forward; to proceed; to continue to advance. — To keep to, to adhere strictly to; not to neglect or deviate from; as to keep to old customs; to keep to a rule; to keep to one’s word or promise. — To keep up, to remain unsubdued; also not to be confined to one’s bed.

Keep, n.
1. The act or office of keeping; custody; guard; care; heed; charge. Chaucer.
"Pan, thou god of shepherds all, Which of our tender lambkins takest keep." Spenser.
2. The state of being kept; hence, the resulting condition; case; as to be in good keep.
3. The means or provisions by which one is kept; maintenance; support; as the keep of a horse.
"Grass equal to the keep of seven cows." Carlyle.
"I performed some services to the college in return for my keep." T. Hughes.
4. That which keeps or protects; a stronghold; a fortress; a castle; specifically, the strongest and securest part of a castle, often used as a place of residence by the lord of the castle, especially during a siege; the donjon. See Illust. of Castle.
"The prison strong, Within whose keep the captive knights were laid." Dryden.
"The lower chambers of those gloomy keeps." Hallam.
"I think … the keep, or principal part of a castle, was so called because the lord and his domestic circle kept, abode, or lived there." M. A. Lower.
5. That which is kept in charge; a charge. [Obs.]
"Often he used of his keep A sacrifice to bring." Spenser.
6. (Mach.) A cap for retaining anything, as a journal box, in place. To take keep, to take care; to heed. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Keepership
Keep´er•ship, n. The office or position of a keeper. Carew.

Keeping
Keep´ing, n.
1. A holding; restraint; custody; guard; charge; care; preservation.
"His happiness is in his own keeping." South.
2. Maintenance; support; provision; feed; as the cattle have good keeping.
"The work of many hands, which earns my keeping." Milton.
3. Conformity; congruity; harmony; consistency; as these subjects are in keeping with each other.
4. (Paint.) Harmony or correspondence between the different parts of a work of art; as the foreground of this painting is not in keeping. Keeping room, a family sitting room. [New Eng. & Prov. Eng.]
Syn. — Care; guardianship; custody; possession.

Keepsake
Keep´sake, n. Anything kept, or given to be kept, for the sake of the giver; a token of friendship.

Keesh, n. See Kish.

Kefir grains. Small hard yellowish aggregations found in the Caucasus region, and containing various yeasts and bacteria. They are used as a ferment in preparing kefir.

Keg (keg), n. [Earlier cag, Icel. kaggi; akin to Sw. kagge.] A small cask or barrel.

Keilhauite
Keil´hau•ite (kil"hou•it), n. (Min.) A mineral of a brownish black color, related to titanite in form. It consists chiefly of silica, titanium dioxide, lime, and yttria.

Keir, n. See Kier.

Keld, a. [Cf. Cavl.] Having a kell or covering; webbed. [Obs.] Drayton.

Kelotomy
Ke•lot´o•my, n. (Med.) See Celotomy.

Kelpware
Kelp´ware, n. Same as Kelp, 2.

Kempe
Kem´pe (kem"p e), a. Rough; shaggy. [Obs.] "Kempe hairs." Chaucer.

Kemps (kemps), n. pl. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Bot.) The long flower stems of the ribwort plantain ( Plantago Lanceolata). Dr. Prior.

Kempt (kemt; 215), p. p. of Kemb. B. Jonson.

Kennel
Ken´nel, n. [See Channel, Canal.] The water course of a street; a little canal or channel; a gutter; also a puddle. Bp. Hall.

Kennel
Ken´nel, n. [OE. kenel, (assumed) OF. kenil, F. chenil, LL. canile, fr. L. canis a dog. Cf. Canine.]
1. A house for a dog or for dogs, or for a pack of hounds.
"A dog sure, if he could speak, had wit enough to describe his kennel." Sir P. Sidney.
2. A pack of hounds, or a collection of dogs. Shak.
3. The hole of a fox or other beast; a haunt.

Kennel
Ken´nel, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Kenneled or Kennelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Kennelling.] To lie or lodge; to dwell, as a dog or a fox.
"The dog kenneled in a hollow tree." L’Estrange.

Kennel
Ken´nel, v. t. To put or keep in a kennel. Thomson.

Kennel coal
Ken"nel coal See Cannel coal.

Kenogenetic
Ken•o•ge•net´ic, a. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to kenogenesis; as kenogenetic processes. — Ken•o•ge•net´ic•al•ly (#), adv.

Kenspeckle
Ken´spec•kle, a. Having so marked an appearance as easily to be recognized. [Scot.]

Kent bugle
Kent" bu"gle [Probably named after a Duke of Kent.] (Mus.) A curved bugle, having six finger keys or stops, by means of which the performer can play upon every key in the musical scale; — called also keyed bugle, and key bugle. Moore.

Kentle
Ken´tle, n. [From Quintal.] (Com.) A hundred weight; a quintal.

Kepi
Kep´i, n. [F. kepi, of G. origin.] A military cap having a close-fitting band, a round flat top sloping toward the front, and a visor. As originally worn by the French in Algeria about 1830 it was tall and stiff with a straight visor. It is now lower, has a curved visor, and is frequently soft.

Kept, imp. & p. p. of Keep. Kept mistress, a concubine; a woman supported by a man as his paramour.

Kerana
Ke•ra´na, n. (Mus.) A kind of long trumpet, used among the Persians. Moore (Encyc. of Music).

Kerargyrite
Ke•rar´gy•rite, n. See Cerargyrite.

Kerasine
Ker´a•sine, a. [Gr. ke•ras horn.] Resembling horn; horny; corneous.

Keratin
Ker´a•tin, n. [Gr. ke•ras, -atos, horn.] (Physiol. Chem.) A nitrogenous substance, or mixture of substances, containing sulphur in a loose state of combination, and forming the chemical basis of epidermal tissues, such as horn, hair, feathers, and the like. It is an insoluble substance, and, unlike elastin, is not dissolved even by gastric or pancreatic juice. By decomposition with sulphuric acid it yields leucin and tyrosin, as does albumin. Called also epidermose.

Keratitis
Ker•a•ti´tis, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ke•ras, -atos, horn + -itis.] (Med.) Inflammation of the cornea.

Keratode
Ker´a•tode, n. See Keratose.

Keratoidea
Ker•a•toi´de•a, n. pl. [NL., from Gr. ke•ras, -atos, horn + -oid.] (Zoöl.) Same as Keratosa.

Keratonyxis
Ker•a•to•nyx´is, n. [Gr. ke•ras, -atos, horn + puncture.] (Med.) The operation of removing a cataract by thrusting a needle through the cornea of the eye, and breaking up the opaque mass.

Keratophyte
Ker´a•to•phyte, n. [Gr. ke•ras, -atos, a horn + a plant.] (Zoöl.) A gorgonian coral having a horny axis.

Keratosa
Ker•a•to´sa, n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ke•ras, -atos, a horn.] (Zoöl.) An order of sponges having a skeleton composed of hornlike fibers. It includes the commercial sponges.

Keratose
Ker´a•tose, n. [Gr. ke•ras, -atos, horn.] (Physiol. Chem.) A tough, horny animal substance entering into the composition of the skeleton of sponges, and other invertebrates; — called also keratode.

Keratose
Ker´a•tose, a. (Zoöl.) Containing hornlike fibers or fibers of keratose; belonging to the Keratosa.

Keraunograph
Ke•rau´no•graph, n. [Gr. thunderbolt + graph.] A figure or picture impressed by lightning upon the human body or elsewhere. — Ker•au•nog´ra•phy (#), n.

Kerb, n. See Curb.

Kerchered
Ker´chered, a. Covered, or bound round, with a kercher. [Obs.] G. Fletcher.

Kerchief
Ker´chief, n. ; pl. Kerchiefs (#). [OE. coverchef, OF. cuevrechief, couvrechef, F. couvrechef, a head covering, fr. couvrir to cover + OF. chief head, F. chef. See Cover, Chief, and cf. Curfew.]
1. A square of fine linen worn by women as a covering for the head; hence, anything similar in form or material, worn for ornament on other parts of the person; — mostly used in compounds; as nec kerchief; breast kerchief; and later, hand kerchief.
"He might put on a hat, a muffler, and a kerchief, and so escape." Shak.
"Her black hair strained away To a scarlet kerchief caught beneath her chin." Mrs. Browning.
2. A lady who wears a kerchief. Dryden. { Ker´chiefed, Ker´chieft }, a. Dressed; hooded; covered; wearing a kerchief. Milton.

Kerl, n. See Carl.

Kermesse
Ker´messe, n. [F.] See Kirmess.

Kern baby. A doll or image decorated with corn (grain) flowers, etc., carried in the festivals of a kern, or harvest- home. Called also harvest queen.

Kerned, a. (Print.) Having part of the face projecting beyond the body or shank; — said of type. "In Roman, f and j are the only kerned letters." MacKellar.

Kernel
Ker´nel, n. [OE. kernel, kirnel, curnel, AS. cyrnel, fr. corn grain. See Corn, and cf. Kern to harden.]
1. The essential part of a seed; all that is within the seed walls; the edible substance contained in the shell of a nut; hence, anything included in a shell, husk, or integument; as the kernel of a nut. See Illust. of Endocarp.
"’ A were as good crack a fusty nut with no kernel" Shak.
2. A single seed or grain; as a kernel of corn.
3. A small mass around which other matter is concreted; a nucleus; a concretion or hard lump in the flesh.
4. The central, substantial or essential part of anything; the gist; the core; as the kernel of an argument.

Kernel
Ker´nel, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Kerneled or Kernelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Kerneling or Kernelling.] To harden or ripen into kernels; to produce kernels. { Ker´neled, Ker´nelled }, a. Having a kernel.

Kernish
Kern´ish, a. [From Kern a boor.] Clownish; boorish. [Obs.] "A petty kernish prince." Milton.

Kerseymere
Ker´sey•mere, n. [For cassimere, confounded with kersey.] See Cassimere.

Kerve, v. t. To carve. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Kerver
Kerv´er, n. A carver. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Kesar
Ke´sar, n. See Kaiser. [Obs.] Spenser.

Kest, imp. of Cast. [Obs.]

Keta
Ke´ta, n. [Perh. of Amer. Indian origin.] (Zoöl.) A small salmon ( Oncorhynchus keta) of inferior value, which in the autumn runs up all the larger rivers between San Francisco and Kamchatka.

Ketch (kech), n. [Prob. corrupted fr. Turk. qaiq : cf. F. caiche. Cf. Caïque.] (Naut.) An almost obsolete form of vessel, with a mainmast and a mizzenmast, — usually from one hundred to two hundred and fifty tons burden. Bomb ketch. See under Bomb.

Ketch, n. A hangman. See Jack Ketch.

Ketch, v. t. [See Catch.] To catch. [Now obs. in spelling, and colloq. in pronunciation.]
"To ketch him at a vantage in his snares." Spenser.

Ketol
Ke´tol (ke"tol), n. [ Ketone + ind ol.] (Chem.) One of a series of series of complex nitrogenous substances, represented by methyl ketol and related to indol. Methyl ketol, a weak organic base, obtained as a white crystalline substance having the odor of faeces.

Ketone
Ke´tone (ke"ton), n. [Cf. Acetone.] (Chem.) One of a large class of organic substances resembling the aldehydes, obtained by the distillation of certain salts of organic acids and consisting of carbonyl (CO) united with two hydrocarbon radicals. In general the ketones are colorless volatile liquids having a pungent ethereal odor. The ketones are named by adding the suffix- one to the stems of the organic acids from which they are respectively derived; thus, acetic acid gives acetone; butyric acid, butyrone, etc.

Kettle
Ket´tle (ket"t’l), n. [OE. ketel; cf. AS. cetel, cetil, cytel; akin to D. kjedel, G. kessel, OHG. chezzil, Icel. ketill, SW. kittel, Dan. kjedel, Goth. katils; all perh. fr. L. catillus, dim. of catinus a deep vessel, bowl; but cf. also OHG. chezzi kettle, Icel. kati small ship.] A metallic vessel, with a wide mouth, often without a cover, used for heating and boiling water or other liguids. Kettle pins, ninepins; skittles. [Obs.] Shelton. — Kettle stitch (Bookbinding), the stitch made in sewing at the head and tail of a book. Knight.

Kettledrum
Ket´tle•drum (-drum•), n.
1. (Mus.) A drum made of thin copper in the form of a hemispherical kettle, with parchment stretched over the mouth of it. Kettledrums, in pairs, were formerly used in martial music for cavalry, but are now chiefly confined to orchestras where they are called tympani.
2. An informal social party at which a light collation is offered, held in the afternoon or early evening. Cf. Drum, n. , 4 and 5.

Keuper
Keu´per (koi"per), n. [G.] (Geol.) The upper division of the European Triassic. See Chart of Geology.

Kever
Kev´er, v. t. & i. To cover. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Keverchief
Kev´er•chief, n. A kerchief. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Kex, n. [W. cecys, pl., hollow stalks.]
1. (Bot.) A weed; a kecksy. Bp. Gauden.
"Though the rough kex break The starred mosaic." Tennyson.
2. A dry husk or covering.
"When the kex, or husk, is broken, he proveth a fair flying butterfly." Holland.

Key (ke), n. [OE. keye, key, kay, AS. caeg.]
1. An instrument by means of which the bolt of a lock is shot or drawn; usually, a removable metal instrument fitted to the mechanism of a particular lock and operated by turning in its place.
2. An instrument which is turned like a key in fastening or adjusting any mechanism; as a watch key; a bed key, etc.
3. That part of an instrument or machine which serves as the means of operating it; as a telegraph key; the keys of a pianoforte, or of a typewriter.
4. A position or condition which affords entrance, control, pr possession, etc.; as the key of a line of defense; the key of a country; the key of a political situation. Hence, that which serves to unlock, open, discover, or solve something unknown or difficult; as the key to a riddle; the key to a problem.
"Those who are accustomed to reason have got the true key of books." Locke.
"Who keeps the keys of all the creeds." Tennyson.
5. That part of a mechanism which serves to lock up, make fast, or adjust to position.
6. (Arch.) (a) A piece of wood used as a wedge. (b) The last board of a floor when laid down.
7. (Masonry) (a) A keystone. (b) That part of the plastering which is forced through between the laths and holds the rest in place.
8. (Mach.) (a) A wedge to unite two or more pieces, or adjust their relative position; a cotter; a forelock. See Illust. . of Cotter, and Gib. (b) A bar, pin or wedge, to secure a crank, pulley, coupling, etc., upon a shaft, and prevent relative turning; sometimes holding by friction alone, but more frequently by its resistance to shearing, being usually embedded partly in the shaft and partly in the crank, pulley, etc.
9. (Bot.) An indehiscent, one-seeded fruit furnished with a wing, as the fruit of the ash and maple; a samara; — called also key fruit.
10. (Mus.) (a) A family of tones whose regular members are called diatonic tones, and named key tone (or tonic) or one (or eight), mediant or three, dominant or five, subdominant or four, submediant or six, supertonic or two, and subtonic or seven. Chromatic tones are temporary members of a key, under such names as " sharp four, " "flat seven," etc. Scales and tunes of every variety are made from the tones of a key. (b) The fundamental tone of a movement to which its modulations are referred, and with which it generally begins and ends; keynote.
"Both warbling of one song, both in one key." Shak.
11. Fig: The general pitch or tone of a sentence or utterance.
"You fall at once into a lower key." Cowper. Key bed. Same as Key seat. — Key bolt, a bolt which has a mortise near the end, and is secured by a cotter or wedge instead of a nut. Key bugle. See Kent bugle. — Key of a position or country. (Mil.) See Key, 4. — Key seat (Mach.), a bed or groove to receive a key which prevents one part from turning on the other. — Key way, a channel for a key, in the hole of a piece which is keyed to a shaft; an internal key seat; — called also key seat. — Key wrench (Mach.), an adjustable wrench in which the movable jaw is made fast by a key. — Power of the keys (Eccl.), the authority claimed by the ministry in some Christian churches to administer the discipline of the church, and to grant or withhold its privileges; — so called from the declaration of Christ, "I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven." Matt. xvi. 19.

Key, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Keved p. pr. & vb. n. Keying.] To fasten or secure firmly; to fasten or tighten with keys or wedges. Francis. To key up. (a) (Arch.) To raise (the whole ring of an arch) off its centering, by driving in the keystone forcibly. (b) (Mus.) To raise the pitch of. (c) Hence, fig., to produce nervous tension in.

Key, n. (Teleg.) A metallic lever by which the circuit of the sending or transmitting part of a station equipment may be easily and rapidly opened and closed; any device for closing or opening an electric circuit.

Key, n. A simplified version or analysis which accompanies something as a clue to its explanation, a book or table containing the solutions to problems, ciphers, allegories, or the like, or a table or synopsis of conspicuous distinguishing characters of members of a taxonomic group.

Key fruit. (Bot.) A samara.

Key tone
Key" tone (Mus.) See Keynote.

Key-cold
Key´-cold, a. Cold as a metallic key; lifeless. [Formerly, a proverbial expression.] Shak. Milton.

Keyed (ked), a. Furnished with keys; as a keyed instrument; also set to a key, as a tune. Keyed bugle. See Kent bugle.

Keyseat
Key´seat, v. t. To form a key seat, as by cutting. See Key seat, under Key.

Keyway
Key´way, n. See Key way, under Key.