võtit

Võtit is the partitive singular form of the Estonian noun võti, which means “key.” A key is a small device used to operate locks on doors, safes, vehicles, and other mechanisms. The base word võti is declined irregularly across cases: nominative singular võti; genitive singular võtme; partitive singular võtit; nominative plural võtmed; partitive plural võtmeid.

In everyday Estonian, võti typically refers to a physical key. The word also participates in numerous compound formations that expand its meaning, such as võti­mehoidja (key holder). The genitive stem võtme appears in these compounds, reflecting the word’s possessive connections within phrases.

Beyond physical keys, võti has relevance in modern technology and security. In IT and cryptography contexts, võti can denote a cryptographic key or other digital credential used to authenticate access to information systems, services, or encrypted data. This broader usage underscores the term’s dual role as both a tangible object and a conceptual tool for access control.