Dictionary:
key·board (kē'bôrd', -bōrd')  |
| Computer Desktop Encyclopedia: keyboard |
A set of input keys on a terminal or computer. It includes the standard typewriter keys, several specialized keys and the features outlined below. See QWERTY keyboard, Dvorak keyboard, AZERTY keyboard and virtual keyboard.
Enter (Return) Key
In text applications, it ends a paragraph or short line. In data applications, it signals the end of the input for that field or line.
Cursor Keys
The four arrow keys move the cursor on screen. They are used in conjunction with shift, alt and control to move the cursor in bigger jumps; for example, CONTROL UP ARROW might scroll the screen. Some earlier keyboards didn't have cursor keys, in which case, control or alt was used with some letter key.
Control, Alt, Command and Option Keys
Used like a shift key, these keys are held down while another key is pressed to command the computer in a variety of ways.
Escape Key
Commonly used to exit or cancel the current mode such as exiting from a menu. Also used to clear an area or repeat a function such as redrawing the screen.
Numeric Lock
Locks a combination number/cursor keypad into numeric mode only.
Home and End Keys
Commonly used to move the cursor to the extreme left or right side of the current line. Often used in conjunction with shift, control and alt; for example, control-home and control-end usually move the cursor to the beginning and end of file.
Page Up/Page Down Keys
Used to move the cursor up and down a page, screen or frame. Often used in combination with shift, control and alt.
Function Keys
Used to call up a menu or perform a function, they are located in a cluster on the left side or in a row across the top of the keyboard (F1, F2, etc.). They are often used with the shift, control and alt keys to extend the number of options.
Backspace Key
Used to delete the character to the left of the cursor (erase typos) and may be used with the shift, control and alt keys to erase segments of text. The extra-wide, typewriter-style key is preferred.
Delete Key
Used to erase the character at the current cursor location. Used in conjunction with the shift, control and alt keys, it is used to erase any segment of text, such as a word, sentence or paragraph.
Insert Key
Usually a toggle switch to go back and forth between insert and overwrite mode. Also used to "paste" a segment of text or graphics into the document at the current cursor location.
Repeating Keys
Most computer keys repeat when held down, a phenomenon first-time computer users must get used to. If you hold a key down that is used to command the computer, you'll be entering the command several times.
Audible Feedback
Keyboards may cause a click or beep to be heard from the computer when keys are pressed. This is done to acknowledge that the character has been entered. It should be adjustable for personal preference.
All Keyboards Are Not Equal
Keyboards feel different, and touch typists should spend a few hours with any keyboard, especially on a laptop, before purchasing it. Key placement is extremely important. Even the most popular laptop keyboards can have awkward cursor, page up/down, home and end key placements. It is not uncommon to have ridiculous designs such as the delete key next to a cursor key. For slow typists, all this means little. For fast typists, it is critical.
In addition, most keyboards today use a membrane technology underneath the keys that does not have the springiness and feel of earlier keyboards that used individual key switches. Premium keyboards from third parties do however still use the switches, and to a fast touch typist, the difference is dramatic. See mechanical keyboard, Maltron keyboard and Avant Stellar keyboard.
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| Marketing Dictionary: keyboard |
1. Computer inpu/output device that resembles a typewriter and is used for key entry of data into a computer. A small version of a keyboard with only numeric keys is called a keypad. Keyboards are used to enter data to order fulfillment systems and to interact with electronic catalogs.
2. Keys on a piano or similar instrument.
| Music Encyclopedia: Keyboard instruments |
Generic term for instruments whose playing mechanisms are operated from a keyboard. The oldest is the organ; other early types include such plucked instruments as the harpsichord, the virginal and the spinet, as well as the clavichord (a struck instrument); more recent examples include the pianoforte, the harmonium, the celesta, the glockenspiel and the synthesizer. The term ‘keyboard music’ is often used for music before 1750, much of which is intended for any available keyboard instrument rather than a specific type. See illustrations
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| Word Tutor: keyboard |
The music of [his] Fifth Concerto streamed from his keyboard, past the glass of the window, and spread through the air, over the lights of the valley.
— Ayn Rand (1905-1982), Russian born American writer and philosopher who advocated capitalism, individualism, and objectivism, from (Atlas 1072).
| Wikipedia: Keyboard instrument |
A keyboard instrument is any musical instrument played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include various types of organs as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments. In common language, it is mostly used to refer to keyboard-style synthesizers.
Among the earliest keyboard instruments are the pipe organ, hurdy gurdy, clavichord, and harpsichord. The organ is doubtless the oldest of these, appearing in the 3rd century BC, although this early instrument—called hydraulis--did not use a keyboard in the modern sense. From its invention until the 14th century, the organ remained the only keyboard instrument. Often, the organ did not feature a keyboard at all, rather buttons or large levers which were operated by a whole hand. Almost every keyboard until the 15th century had 7 naturals to each octave.
The clavichord and the harpsichord appeared during the 14th century, the clavichord probably being the earlier. The harpsichord and the clavichord were both very common until the widespread adoption of the piano in the 18th century, after which their popularity decreased. The piano was revolutionary because a pianist could vary the volume (or dynamics) of the sound by varying the vigor with which each key was struck. The piano's full name is "gravicèmbalo con piano e forte" meaning "harpsichord with soft and loud" but can be shortened to "piano-forte", which means "soft-loud" in Italian.
Keyboard instruments were further developed in the 20th century. Early electromechanical instruments, such as the Ondes Martenot, appeared early in the century.
The piano keys were made of natural materials. The white tangents were made of ivory, the black of ebony, but now artificial materials like plastic are used to cover the wooden keys. Cheaper materials like oak, walnut and soft wood are used now.
Much effort has gone into finding an instrument which sounds like the piano but lacks its size and weight. The electric piano and electronic piano were early efforts that, while being useful instruments in their own right, were not successful in convincingly reproducing the timbre of the piano. Electric and electronic organs were developed during the same period.
Significant development of the synthesizer occurred in the 1960s and has continued ever since. The most notable early synthesizer is the Moog synthesizer, which used analog circuitry. In time, digital synthesis, using actual piano samples, has become common.
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| Translations: Keyboard |
Dansk (Danish)
n. - tastatur, klaviatur
v. tr. - skrive på tastaturet, spille
Nederlands (Dutch)
keyboard, toetsenbord, bord waar sleutels aangehangen worden, een keyboard bedienen
Français (French)
n. - clavier (d'un ordinateur)
v. tr. - (Comput, Typ) faire la saisie de, saisir
Deutsch (German)
n. - Keyboard, Tastatur, Klaviatur
v. - tasten
Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - πληκτρολόγιο, κλαβιέ
Italiano (Italian)
tastiera, pianoforte elettrico
Português (Portuguese)
n. - teclado (m)
Español (Spanish)
n. - teclado, consola
v. tr. - teclear, ingresar información a través de un teclado
Svenska (Swedish)
n. - klaviatur, tangentbord, keyboard, synt
中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
键盘, 钥匙板, 键盘乐器, 操作的键盘, 用键盘输入
中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 鍵盤, 鑰匙板, 鍵盤樂器
v. tr. - 操作的鍵盤, 用鍵盤輸入
한국어 (Korean)
n. - 악기의 건반
v. tr. - 식자기로 활자를 짜다, 입력시키다
日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 鍵盤
v. - キーをたたく
العربيه (Arabic)
(الاسم) لوحه التشغيل
עברית (Hebrew)
n. - מקלדת, מערכת מקשים, פסנתר חשמלי
v. tr. - הקיש
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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