κλεῖδα [2 verses](noun sg fem acc) "Key" is from kleis, which means generally "that which serves for closing." It means " a bar", "a bolt", "a catch", "the tongue of a hasp," and "a hook." Later, it came to mean "key" but more in the sense of a thing that locks rather than a thing that opens. - - "The keys" is a noun that describes "that which serves for closing," meaning the devices that holds a door closed. It means " a bar", "a bolt", "a catch," and "a hook." Later, it came to mean "key" but in the sense of something that holds something shut rather than opens something.