Schlüssel

From Middle High German slüzzel, from Old High German sluzzil, from Proto-Germanic *slutilaz, which is derived from Proto-Germanic *sleutaną (“to close”). Cognate with Dutch sleutel and English slot.[1]

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃlʏsl̩/, /ˈʃlʏsəl/
• Hyphenation: Schlüs‧sel

• Audio

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Schlüssel m (strong, genitive Schlüssels, plural Schlüssel, diminutive Schlüsselchen n or Schlüssellein n)

1. a key

   Der Schlüssel passt nicht.

   The key doesn't fit.

   Diese beiden Schlüssel sind identisch.

   These two keys are identical.

   • 1922, Franz Kafka, Das Schloß, Kurt Wolff Verlag, published 1926, page 241:

     Es war zwar ein großer Holzvorrat in einem Schuppen vorhanden, dieser Schuppen aber war versperrt und den Schlüssel hatte der Lehrer, der eine Entnahme des Holzes nur für das Heizen während der Unterrichtsstunden gestattete.

     There was a large supply of wood available in a shed, but this shed was locked and the key was in the possession of the teacher, who allowed taking from the wood only for the heating during the class hours.

2. a bunch of keys; grammatically singular, used instead of Schlüsselbund, especially with possessive determiner

   Ich habe meinen Schlüssel irgendwo vergessen.

   I left my keys (= the bunch I usually carry) somewhere.

   Ich habe einen Einkaufschip am Schlüssel.

   I have a trolley token on my bunch of keys.

3. Short for certain compounds, such as Schraubenschlüssel (“screw-wrench”) or Notenschlüssel (“clef”).

• Not to be confused with Schüssel

• entschlüsseln (“to decrypt”)
• verschlüsseln (“to encrypt”)
• schlüsselartig
• schlüssellos

• schließen
• Schloss
• Schlosser
• Verschluss

• “Schlüssel” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Schlüssel” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Schlüssel” in Duden online
• “Schlüssel” in Deutsches Wörterbuch von Jacob und Wilhelm Grimm, 16 vols., Leipzig 1854–1961.