Dictionary.com
definitions

Woodruff key

noun Machinery.

a key having the form of a nearly semicircular disk fitting into a recess in a shaft.

RELATED CONTENT

What Does 🔑 Key Emoji Mean?Not to be confused with the old key emoji ... the key emoji depicts a single key, and it's presented in varying shades of brass and silver on various platforms.
READ MORE
Cracking The Code of Millennial SlangRead more in this article about some frequently asked questions and fun facts related to our definitions.
READ MORE

Origin of Woodruff key

apparently after the proper name
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for woodruff key

Woodruff key

/ (ˈwʊdrʌf) /

noun engineering

a semicircular key restrained in a curved keyway in a shaft

Word Origin for Woodruff key

C19: named after the Woodruff Manufacturing Co, in Hartford, Connecticut, who first manufactured it in 1892
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