קְלִיד

The word "קְלִיד" (klid) was established in 1952 by the Music Terminology Committee of the Hebrew Language Committee as the Hebrew term for piano keys, replacing the previous term "מַקֵּשׁ" (makesh) that was set in 1945. The word was borrowed from the Aramaic word "אַקְלִידָא" (aklida), meaning "key," which appears in the Babylonian Talmud (Gittin 56a). The choice of a word meaning "key" was a calque of the Latin term for a piano key, which was called "clavis" (key) at least since the 14th century. Interestingly, the Aramaic word "אַקְלִידָא" itself is borrowed from the ancient Greek word "κλαβίς" (klavis, "key"), which is also the source of the Latin word "clavis" and the Yiddish word "klavish," as well as the Persian word "klid." The term "קְלִיד" was quickly accepted by the public, largely due to its rapid adoption by the musicologist, composer and music critic of "Davar" Menashe Ravina, as well as due to its phonetic similarity to words in Yiddish and English. From the word "קְלִיד" was also derived in 1952 the word "מִקְלֶדֶת" (mikledet) as a name for the keyboard system in piano and similar instruments, and later - also for the computer keyboard.