"skeleton key" meaning in English

See skeleton key in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Forms: skeleton keys [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun}} skeleton key (plural skeleton keys)
  1. A very simple design of key that usually has a cylindrical shaft (sometimes called a "shank") and a single, minimal flat, rectangular tooth or "bit".
    Sense id: en-skeleton_key-en-noun-kIL-Trj6
  2. A key that has parts filed away so that it will open a range of locks. Translations (key that opens a range of locks): шперц (šperc) (Bulgarian), 萬能鑰匙 (Chinese Mandarin), 万能钥匙 (wànnéng yàoshi) (Chinese Mandarin), loper [masculine] (Dutch), yleisavain (Finnish), passe-partout [masculine] (French), πασπαρτού (paspartoú) (Greek), álkulcs (Hungarian), passe-partout [masculine] (Italian), adultera clavis [feminine] (Latin), universalnøkkel [masculine] (Norwegian Bokmål), universalnykel [masculine] (Norwegian Nynorsk), universalnøkkel [masculine] (Norwegian Nynorsk), chave-mestra [feminine] (Portuguese), ключ от всех двере́й (ključ ot vsex dveréj) [masculine] (Russian), llave maestra [feminine] (Spanish), halipsusi (Tagalog), gansuwa (Tagalog), กุญแจผี (gun-jɛɛ-pǐi) (Thai)
    Sense id: en-skeleton_key-en-noun-Jg2YaUOi Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 12 84 3 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 20 74 6 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 16 78 6 Disambiguation of 'key that opens a range of locks': 18 63 18
  3. A master key.
    Sense id: en-skeleton_key-en-noun-jcjAED~t
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Categories (topical): Security Related terms: passkey
Disambiguation of Security: 0 0 0

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for skeleton key meaning in English (4.4kB)

{
  "categories": [
    {
      "_dis": "0 0 0",
      "kind": "topical",
      "langcode": "en",
      "name": "Security",
      "orig": "en:Security",
      "parents": [
        "Society",
        "All topics",
        "Fundamental"
      ],
      "source": "w+disamb"
    }
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "skeleton keys",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "skeleton key (plural skeleton keys)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "32 35 34",
      "word": "passkey"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A very simple design of key that usually has a cylindrical shaft (sometimes called a \"shank\") and a single, minimal flat, rectangular tooth or \"bit\"."
      ],
      "id": "en-skeleton_key-en-noun-kIL-Trj6",
      "links": [
        [
          "cylindrical",
          "cylindrical"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "12 84 3",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "20 74 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with topic categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "16 78 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A key that has parts filed away so that it will open a range of locks."
      ],
      "id": "en-skeleton_key-en-noun-Jg2YaUOi",
      "links": [
        [
          "filed",
          "filed"
        ],
        [
          "open",
          "open"
        ],
        [
          "lock",
          "lock"
        ]
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "bg",
          "lang": "Bulgarian",
          "roman": "šperc",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "word": "шперц"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "word": "萬能鑰匙"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "wànnéng yàoshi",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "word": "万能钥匙"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "loper"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "word": "yleisavain"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "passe-partout"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "el",
          "lang": "Greek",
          "roman": "paspartoú",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "word": "πασπαρτού"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "word": "álkulcs"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "passe-partout"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "la",
          "lang": "Latin",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "adultera clavis"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "no",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "universalnøkkel"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "universalnykel"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "nn",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "universalnøkkel"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "chave-mestra"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "ključ ot vsex dveréj",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "ключ от всех двере́й"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "llave maestra"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "tl",
          "lang": "Tagalog",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "word": "halipsusi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "tl",
          "lang": "Tagalog",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "word": "gansuwa"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "18 63 18",
          "code": "th",
          "lang": "Thai",
          "roman": "gun-jɛɛ-pǐi",
          "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
          "word": "กุญแจผี"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A master key."
      ],
      "id": "en-skeleton_key-en-noun-jcjAED~t",
      "links": [
        [
          "master key",
          "master key"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "skeleton key"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "en:Security"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "skeleton keys",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "skeleton key (plural skeleton keys)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "passkey"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A very simple design of key that usually has a cylindrical shaft (sometimes called a \"shank\") and a single, minimal flat, rectangular tooth or \"bit\"."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "cylindrical",
          "cylindrical"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A key that has parts filed away so that it will open a range of locks."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "filed",
          "filed"
        ],
        [
          "open",
          "open"
        ],
        [
          "lock",
          "lock"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A master key."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "master key",
          "master key"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "bg",
      "lang": "Bulgarian",
      "roman": "šperc",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "word": "шперц"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "word": "萬能鑰匙"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "wànnéng yàoshi",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "word": "万能钥匙"
    },
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "loper"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "word": "yleisavain"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "passe-partout"
    },
    {
      "code": "el",
      "lang": "Greek",
      "roman": "paspartoú",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "word": "πασπαρτού"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "word": "álkulcs"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "passe-partout"
    },
    {
      "code": "la",
      "lang": "Latin",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "adultera clavis"
    },
    {
      "code": "no",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "universalnøkkel"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "universalnykel"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "universalnøkkel"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "chave-mestra"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "ključ ot vsex dveréj",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "ключ от всех двере́й"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "llave maestra"
    },
    {
      "code": "tl",
      "lang": "Tagalog",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "word": "halipsusi"
    },
    {
      "code": "tl",
      "lang": "Tagalog",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "word": "gansuwa"
    },
    {
      "code": "th",
      "lang": "Thai",
      "roman": "gun-jɛɛ-pǐi",
      "sense": "key that opens a range of locks",
      "word": "กุญแจผี"
    }
  ],
  "word": "skeleton key"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.