alt key

English

From left to right: A keyboard's control key, Windows key, alt key.

Etymology

First use appears c. 1964 on the computer keyboard of the PDP-6 TECO.

Noun

alt key (plural alt keys)

1. (computing) A key on a personal computer or terminal keyboard used in combination to alter the function of other keys.

Coordinate terms

• control key
• function key
• shift key

Translations

computing: a key on a keyboard

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 轉換鍵 / 转换键 (zhuǎnhuànjiàn)

• Dutch: alt-toets m
• Esperanto: alt-klavo
• Finnish: Alt-näppäin, vaihtoehtonäppäin
• French: touche Alt f
• German: Alt-Taste f
• Greek: πλήκτρο Alt n (plíktro Alt)
• Hebrew: אלט (alt)
• Hungarian: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: オルトキー (oruto kī), オルト (oruto)
• Korean: 알트 키 (alteu ki), 알트 (alteu)
• Polish: alt (pl) m
• Portuguese: tecla Alt f
• Romanian: tastă Alt f
• Russian: альт (ru) m (alʹt), кла́виша альт f (kláviša alʹt)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can
• Vietnamese: phím Alt