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Glite Dictionary
⭐ An important person 🎹 A keyboard player 🔑 A key holder
keyman

keyman

6.7
A person who holds keys and opens or locks a building
  • noun
  • /ˈkiːmən/
translation icon : responsable de llaves
  • The keyman arrived early to unlock the school and let the teachers in before class.

Examples

  • The building's keyman is responsible for locking all the doors at night.

  • If you lose your office keys, you should contact the keyman immediately.

  • The keyman opened the door for the guests.

  • Who is the keyman for this building?

  • The keyman was called to unlock the conference room for the meeting to begin.

  • When the fire alarm went off, the keyman quickly opened the emergency exits.

  • Everyone waited for the keyman to arrive and let them into the secured area.

Synonyms

watchman
vskeyman
28 4.1

A person who guards a building or land, usually at night

focuses on locking and opening rooms rather than general night surveillance
doorkeeper
vskeyman
1 2.8

A person who guards a building entrance and controls who can enter

is mainly responsible for securing and opening rooms with authorized access

Surface Forms

keyman singular
keymen plural

Morphology

keyman = key + man (transparent) = key + man

Clearly a compound 'key' + 'man' meaning a person who holds or manages keys; straightforward for learners.

Etymology

Keyman is simply key + man, where key means the metal tool used to 'open' locks, so a keyman is the person who keeps and uses the keys to lock or unlock a building.