watch key
- noun
- /wɑtʃ ki/
- Archaic
:
llave de reloj
- The antique pocket watch came with its original watch key for winding.
Examples
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He carefully turned the watch key to wind the delicate mechanism inside.
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Because the watch key was lost, the old watch could no longer be wound.
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I found my old watch key in the drawer.
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Do you have a watch key for this model?
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He carefully turned the watch key to wind the delicate mechanism inside.
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The antique pocket watch came with its original watch key for winding.
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Do you have a watch key for this model?
Synonyms
13
7.8
A small tool used to wind the spring of a clock or music box
How Manual
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a small key used for winding some mechanical watches' is directly and straightforwardly derivable from 'watch' (a timepiece) + 'key' (a tool for winding clock springs). This is a regular noun+noun compound meaning 'a key for a watch' — a compositional pattern common cross-linguistically — so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Watch key is a small metal key that fits into a square hole on a mechanical watch so you can turn it and 'wind' the spring. That's why the word means 'a small key used for winding some mechanical watches'.