Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

keyman

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.31 in modern English

Syllables: key-man
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A telegraph operator.

Dated

noun

A workman who checks a railway track for faults, and who carries a keying hammer.

Indian usage

noun

An employee of vital importance to a business.

Example Sentences

"Conscious of their importance, the 324 labor delegates marched bravely in and elected by acclaim as their president a onetime Ontario telegraph keyman, Senator Gideon Decker Robertson […]"
"A corporation may feel the need for life insurance on one of its keymen under a variety of circumstances."
"As the keymen learn how to handle confidential company information, the owner-manager can disclose more to them. In most very small firms, the keymen will be "working" bosses."

Etymology

From key + man.

Usage

Dated
Indian usage

Inflected Forms

keymen (plural)

Phrases

keyman insurance

Questions

What does keyman mean?: A telegraph operator.
Where does keyman come from?: From key + man.

How to pronounce keyman

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “keyman”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “keyman”.
Repeat and practice — Say “keyman” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.