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keyword

or key word

[kee-wurd]
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noun
  1. a word that serves as a key, as to the meaning of another word, a sentence, passage, or the like.
  2. a word used to encipher or decipher a cryptogram, as a pattern for a transposition procedure or the basis for a complex substitution.
  3. Also called catchword. Library Science. a significant or memorable word or term in the title, abstract, or text of a document or other item being indexed, used as the index entry.
  4. Digital Technology. a word used to classify or organize digital content, or to facilitate an online search for information: Search the database for the keyword “Ireland.”
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Origin of keyword

First recorded in 1855–60; key1 + word
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for keywords

keyword

noun
  1. a word used as a key to a code
  2. any significant word or phrase, esp a word used to describe the contents of a document
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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

Word Origin and History for keywords

keyword

n.

also key-word, 1807, from key (n.1) + word (n.). Originally in reference to codes and ciphers.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper