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KEY Definition & Legal Meaning

Definition & Citations:

A wharf for the lading and unlading of merchandise from vessels. More com- monly spelled “quay.” An instrument for fastening and opening a lock. This appears as an English word as early as the time of Bracton, in the phrase “cone et keye,” being applied to women at a certain age, to denote the capacity of having charge of household affairs. Bract, fol. 866. See CONE AND KEY.

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