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Glite Dictionary
🖼️ A picture border 🔑 A master key
passe-partout

passe-partout

9.9
A key that opens many locks in a building
  • noun
  • /ˌpæs.pɑːrˈtuː/
translation icon : llave maestra
  • The caretaker carried a passe-partout that unlocked every office in the building.

Examples

  • After losing the original, the hotel manager used the passe-partout to enter the guests' rooms.

  • Only trusted employees are given access to the passe-partout for security reasons.

  • The manager gave me a passe-partout for the entire building.

  • Can you find a passe-partout for this hotel?

  • The maintenance worker always kept a passe-partout handy to quickly access various rooms in the building.

  • For convenience, the hotel provides staff members with a passe-partout to open any guest room door.

  • He checked that the passe-partout worked on every lock before starting his rounds in the office complex.

Synonyms

master
vspasse-partout
37 6.1

A key that opens many different locks in a building

is broader, covering many locks or entire buildings rather than only main ones
master key
vspasse-partout
4 3.4

A key that opens many different locks in a building

is more about opening many or all doors across a building
passkey
vspasse-partout
2 6.0

A key that opens every lock in a set, like all rooms in a building

is similar but focuses on opening many building doors rather than opening every lock
skeleton key
vspasse-partout
1 6.7

A metal tool that opens many similar locks by having most teeth cut away

is the general term for opening many locks rather than a specially filed form

How Universal

skeleton key
  • Specialized
7.5
passe-partout
9.9
passkey
2 6.0
master key
4 3.4
key
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

passe-partout singular
passe-partouts plural

Etymology

Passe-partout comes from the French words passer and partout, meaning 'to pass' and 'everywhere'. That's why a passe-partout can mean a master key — a key that can 'pass' through many locks and open lots of doors.