keyway

noun

key·​way ˈkē-ˌwā 

1

: a groove or channel for a key

2

: the aperture for the key in a lock having a flat metal key

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Perhaps the owner of some upstart channel, hungry for clicks, has attempted to foil LPL with a custom keyway of their own devising. —Hazlitt, 5 Apr. 2023

All 1990 and early 1991 Miatas were built with short-nose cranks with a fragile keyway where the lower timing belt sprocket was indexed. —Dan Edmunds, Car and Driver, 2 Mar. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined at sense 1