Key, Francis Scott
Syllabification: (Key, Francis Scott)
Pronunciation: /kē/
Definition of Key, Francis Scott
- (1779–1843), US lawyer and poet. A witness to the successful US defense against the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore in September 1814, he wrote the poem “Defence of Fort M’Henry.” The poem was later set to music, renamed “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and, in 1931, adopted as the US national anthem.