keyway

[ kee-wey ]

/ ˈkiˌweɪ /

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noun

Machinery. a groove in a shaft, the hub of a wheel, etc., for receiving part of a key holding it to another part.

a slot in a lock for receiving and guiding the key.

(in poured-concrete construction) a longitudinal groove in a footing, or in a pour that has set, providing a key for newly poured concrete.

a depression or slot carved into rock to provide a bond or anchorage for a structure, as a dam.

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Origin of keyway

First recorded in 1865–70; key¹ + way¹

Words nearby keyway

Keystoner, keystone species, Keystone State, keystroke, key up, keyway, Key West, keyword, keyword indexing, keyword stuffing, key worker

How to use keyway in a sentence

The sides and bottom of the keyway should be surfaced true with the file.
Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II|Joshua Rose
This head is also driven by a key which engages a keyway in the boring-bar.
Turning and Boring|Franklin D. Jones
When two sets of marks are obtained, the mean must be taken and the keyway cut as shown by the thick lines in fig. 39.
Gas and Oil Engines, Simply Explained|Walter C. Runciman
The flat key is used where it is necessary to secure the wheel more firmly without weakening the shaft by cutting a keyway in it.
Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II|Joshua Rose

This causes the pin to catch in the front end of the keyway and the sleeve is again locked.
Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II|Joshua Rose

British Dictionary definitions for keyway

keyway

/ (ˈkiːˌweɪ) /

noun

a longitudinal slot cut into a component to accept a key that engages with a similar slot on a mating component to prevent relative motion of the two components

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