skeleton key

noun

A very simple design of key that usually has a cylindrical shaft (sometimes called a "shank") and a single, minimal flat, rectangular tooth or "bit".

“The skeleton key to this plan is the marketing, which will make the plan make sense when you see it.”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounskeleton key (plural skeleton keys)

plural skeleton keys

  1. A very simple design of key that usually has a cylindrical shaft (sometimes called a "shank") and a single, minimal flat, rectangular tooth or "bit".
  2. A key that has parts filed away so that it will open a range of locks.
  3. A master key.
  4. figurativelyA key (A crucial step or requirement) or (An idea, theory or observation that explains, justifies or renders (something) comprehensible).

    The skeleton key to this plan is the marketing, which will make the plan make sense when you see it.

Translations

Bulgarian шперц
  • шперц (šperc)key that opens a range of locks
Chinese Cantonese 百合匙
  • 百合匙 (baak³ hap⁶ si⁴)key that opens a range of locks
Chinese Mandarin 萬能鑰匙 /万能钥匙
  • 萬能鑰匙 /万能钥匙 (wànnéng yàoshi)key that opens a range of locks
Dutch loper
  • loperkey that opens a range of locks
Finnish yleisavain
  • yleisavainkey that opens a range of locks
French passe-partout
  • passe-partoutkey that opens a range of locks
Greek πασπαρτού
  • πασπαρτού (paspartoú)key that opens a range of locks
Hungarian álkulcs
  • álkulcskey that opens a range of locks
Italian passe-partout
  • passe-partoutkey that opens a range of locks
Latin adultera clavis
  • adultera claviskey that opens a range of locks
Norwegian Bokmål universalnøkkel
  • universalnøkkelkey that opens a range of locks
Portuguese chave-mestra
  • chave-mestrakey that opens a range of locks
Russian ключ от всех двере́й
  • ключ от всех двере́й (ključ ot vsex dveréj)key that opens a range of locks
Spanish llave maestra
  • llave maestrakey that opens a range of locks
Tagalog halipsusi, gansuwa
  • halipsusikey that opens a range of locks
  • gansuwakey that opens a range of locks
Thai กุญแจผี
  • กุญแจผี (gun-jɛɛ-pǐi)key that opens a range of locks
Vietnamese chìa khoá vạn năng
  • chìa khoá vạn năngkey that opens a range of locks
Cite this entry
APA

skeleton key. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/skeleton%20key

MLA

“skeleton key.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/skeleton%20key. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “skeleton key,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/skeleton%20key.

Source: skeleton key on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.