key signature

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noun Music.

(in notation) the group of sharps or flats placed after the clef to indicate the tonality of the music following.

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Origin of key signature

First recorded in 1870–75

Words nearby key signature

key ring, keyring drive, keys, key scarf, Keyserling, key signature, keyslot, keysmash, key stage, key station, keystone

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use key signature in a sentence

In 2018, one group of researchers reported in Nature that they’d observed key signatures of Majoranas.
The Near-Magical Mystery of Quasiparticles|Thomas Lewton|March 24, 2021|Quanta Magazine
It is not a decisive war, with a single, signature victory, but a war of attrition.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Getting men to do their share of care and domestic work is a key overlooked strategy in reducing poverty.
How Good Dads Can Change the World|Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
By contrast, Solomon can tell us a great deal about what really changed the country—because at key moments, he was there.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality|E.J. Graff|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The second lesson is that no one writing before the twentieth century holds a key to our problems.
American Democracy Under Threat for 250 Years|Jedediah Purdy|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As with so many things, keeping screen time in moderate amounts seems key.
Yes, Your Toddler Can Watch TV: The New Rules for Screen Time|Russell Saunders|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mr. Jones swung round a large iron key he held in his hand, and light dawned upon him.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
Mr. Collingwood, taking the key from his mother, locked the little door in the boarding, after them.
The Boarded-Up House|Augusta Huiell Seaman
About her neck was hung a covered basket and a door-key; and Davy at once concluded that she was Sindbad's house-keeper.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
For a moment Joe stood behind her, silently, looking over her shoulder at the signature of Isom Chase.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
The girl smiled, and drew out a large key, and nodded, still smiling as she replaced it.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

British Dictionary definitions for key signature

key signature

noun

music a group of sharps or flats appearing at the beginning of each stave line to indicate the key in which a piece, section, etc, is to be performed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

key signature

Origin of key signature

Words nearby key signature

Words related to key signature

How to use key signature in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for key signature