clavisn.
/ˈkleɪvɪs/ 1. literal. A key.
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society > occupation and work > equipment > building and constructing equipment > fastenings > [noun] > key
key1434
clavis1649
twister1939
1649 Bp. J. Taylor Great Exemplar iii. xviii. 110 Christ himself would have given a Clavis, and taught the Church to unlock so great a secret.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. Clavis, a Latin Word, sometimes us'd in English Writers for a Key.
a1839 J. Galt Demon of Destiny (1840) ii. 14 The pond'rous clavis of some torture cave.
2. figurative. A key to writings in another language, to ciphers, etc.
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1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Clavis, an Exposition of hard words, or..feigned names.
1708 J. Kersey Dict. Anglo-Britannicum Clavis, a Key, a Lock, or Bolt: The Word is commonly us'd in English, for the Exposition of a Cipher, or any secret Writing. [Hence in Bailey and mod. Dicts.]
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1889; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
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