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Glite Dictionary
🎼 Music sharps or flats 🔑 Cryptographic proof
key signature

key signature

8.1
A digital mark added to a public key to show who owns it
  • noun
  • /kiː ˈsɪɡnətʃər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : firma de clave
  • In cryptography, a key signature verifies the authenticity of a public key.

Examples

  • PGP users exchange a key signature to confirm a public key belongs to its owner.

  • Before joining the network she asked a colleague to apply a trusted key signature to her key.

  • The security audit found several expired key signatures that needed to be revalidated immediately.

  • Does this key signature belong to a trusted source?

  • PGP users exchange a key signature to confirm a public key belongs to its owner.

  • The security audit found several expired key signatures that needed to be revalidated immediately.

  • Before joining the network, she asked a colleague to apply a trusted key signature to her key.

Synonyms

certificate
vskey signature
  • Texting
22 5.1

A digital file that proves a website's or person's identity and helps secure connections

is a digital attestation applied directly to a public cryptographic item verifying owner identity

How Trusted

attestation report
  • Specialized
7.5
key signature
  • Specialized
8.1
unsigned
16 3.9

Surface Forms

key signature singular
key signatures plural

Morphology

key + signature

The compound is compositionally interpretable as ‘a signature belonging to or applied to a key’ so there is partial predictability from the parts. However, the meaning is domain-specific (cryptography) and conflicts with a common musical sense ('key signature'), so a B1 learner who knows only the basic constituent senses would likely be uncertain without background knowledge. This partial compositionality plus required specialist knowledge makes the MWE semi-transparent.

Etymology

Key signature: In computer security, key signature comes from the idea of a signature attached to a key, like a name tag on a real key that shows the 'owner', so the digital mark proves the key is trusted and confirms who it belongs to.