Rekeys

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Replaces or alters the locks so that a different key is needed to open a door, safe, or other secured item
2. Changes the keying of a lock so that the old keys no longer work and new ones take their place
3. Reconfigures the locking mechanism of a door or device so that it responds to a fresh set of keys

Etymology: "Rekeys" is the third-person singular present form of "rekey," so it is the form of a verb that means to change the lock mechanism of a door or device so that a different key will open it. The verb is simply the prefix "re-", meaning again or anew, attached to "key", which means the same thing it always has: the tool that turns a lock. The key half has a longer history than the prefix. It descends from Old English "cǣġ," which was the source of the modern word, and it passed through Middle English "keye" before settling into its present spelling. Meanwhile, "re-" arrived through Old French "re-" from Latin "re-", a prefix that English has used freely to form new verbs from existing ones, so "rekey" is a fairly transparent compound of two very old elements.