shift key

noun — 2 senses

shift key

noun

Etymology First use appears c. 1883 in the listing of U.S. Patents.

1

The key on a typewriter used to select uppercase letters and certain special characters by physically moving the mechanism

2

Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences A key on a personal computer or terminal keyboard used to effect the same function, or to change the function of the function keys.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.