skeleton key

skel·e·ton key

S s

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
- [skel-i-tn kee]
- /ˈskɛl ɪ tn ki/
- /ˈskel.ɪ.tən kiː/

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- [skel-i-tn kee]
- /ˈskɛl ɪ tn ki/

Definitions of skeleton key words

noun skeleton key a key with nearly the whole substance of the bit filed away so that it may open various locks. 1
noun skeleton key master or multi-purpose key 1
countable noun skeleton key A skeleton key is a key which has been specially made so that it will open many different locks. 0
noun skeleton key a key with the serrated edge filed down so that it can open numerous locks 0
noun skeleton key a key having a large part of the bit filed away so that it can be used to open any of various simple locks 0

See all 5 definitions of skeleton key

Information block about the term

Origin of skeleton key

First appearance:

before 1800

One of the 42% newest English words

First recorded in 1800-10

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Skeleton key

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Skeleton key

skeleton key popularity

A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 36% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.

According to our data about 59% of words is more used. This is a rare but used term. It occurs in the pages of specialized literature and in the speech of educated people.

skeleton key usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for skeleton key

noun skeleton key

master key — a key that will open a number of different locks, the proper keys of which are not interchangeable.
opener — a person or thing that opens.

All 2 Synonyms of skeleton key