crotchet

American  

[kroch-it] / ˈkrɒtʃ ɪt /

noun

1. an odd fancy or whimsical notion.

   Synonyms:

   oddity, quirk, eccentricity, whimsy, caprice

2. a small hook.

3. a hooklike device or part.

4. Entomology. a small, hooklike process.

5. Music. Chiefly British. a quarter note.

6. a curved surgical instrument with a sharp hook.

---

crotchet British  

/ ˈkrɒtʃɪt /

noun

1. Usual US and Canadian name: quarter note.  music a note having the time value of a quarter of a semibreve

2. a small hook or hooklike device

3. a perverse notion

4. zoology a small notched or hooked process, as in an insect

---

Etymology

Origin of crotchet

1350–1400; Middle English crochet hook, staff with hook at end < Middle French ( see crochet); doublet of crocket

Example Sentences

The crocodile is voiced by Crotchet Fiona, a rapper from Barcelona whom Barki met on Instagram and who is originally from Equatorial Guinea and has a chipper, Spanish-inflected accent.

From New York Times • Dec. 1, 2021

Crotchet Castle and Nightmare Abbey, a goodnatured, witty caricature of Shelley as Scythrop dowry, the baffled lover, are probably the best of Peacock and least likely to bog the reader in temporary verbal swamps.

From Time Magazine Archive

Crotchet, kroch′et, n. a hook: a note in music, equal to half a minim, : a crooked or perverse fancy: a whim, or conceit.—adjs.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

The first thing he did on his arrival here was to kill the cat; and while Miss Crotchet was crying over her, he brought her to life again.

From Crotchet Castle by Peacock, Thomas Love

When the ladies had withdrawn, young Crotchet addressed the company.

From Crotchet Castle by Peacock, Thomas Love