chave

Etymology

From Old Portuguese chave, from Latin clāvis, clāvem.

Noun

chave f (plural chaves)

1. key (to open doors)
2. key (of musical instrument)
3. key (crucial step)
4. wrench, spanner
5. curly bracket
6. faucet, tap (water faucet)
7. chokehold

Etymology

See ch-.

Verb

chave

1. I have
   • William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

     Kissyng and lying ich see is all one:
     And chave no mony, chul tell true therfore.

Etymology

From Old Portuguese chave (“key”), from Latin clāvis, clāvem (“key”), from Proto-Italic *klāwis (“bolt, lock, bar”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂u- (“nail, pin, hook - instruments, of old use for locking doors”) (possibly through an Ancient Greek intermediate).

Cognate with Galician chave, Spanish llave, Catalan clau, Occitan clau, French clé, Italian chiave and Romanian cheie. Doublet of clave, a borrowing.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈʃa.vɨ/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʃa.vi/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʃa.ve/
• Hyphenation: cha‧ve
• Rhymes: -avi

Noun

chave f (plural chaves)

1. key (object that opens and closes a lock)

   Chave do portão.

   Key to the gate.

2. key (object that is inserted into a device and rotated to activate it)

   Chave do carro.

   Car key.

3. any of several tools designed to turn screws, bolts, nuts, etc., especially a spanner

   Chave de fenda.

   Screwdriver.

4. (typography) curly bracket (name of the characters { and)}

   Coloque o valor entre chaves.

   Put the value between curly brackets.

5. (figuratively) key (crucial step, element or requirement)

   Terminar no prazo é a chave para o sucesso de nosso produto.

   Finishing within schedule is the key to our product’s success.

6. (figuratively) keys (free access to something)
7. (computing) key; password
8. (cryptography) key (a string used to encode or decode text)
9. (databases) key (value that identifies a row in a table)
10. (music) a key of a wind instrument
11. (music) tuning lever; tuning wrench; hammer (tool used to tune certain stringed instruments)
12. winder (key or knob used to wind a clockwork mechanism)
13. (electricity) the switch of a circuit breaker
14. (puzzles) the clue to an answer
15. (sports) group; pool (in a tournament, a set of players or team who play against one another)
16. (rail transport) the mechanism that activates a switch
17. (architecture) the keystone of a vault
18. (music, obsolete) Synonym of clave

Adjective

chave (invariable, comparable)

1. key; crucial; indispensable