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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of crotchet

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

Example Sentences

Ms Crofts described the crotchet part of the project as a "labour of love", and said she took it with her wherever she went so she could work on it during spare moments.

From BBC • Nov. 3, 2023

It’s also even in more mundane ways, in cross-stitch, in crotchet and quilting, creating beauty literally from the scraps on the margins.

From Washington Post • Jul. 12, 2022

But then, each of the dead has some crotchet or obsession.

From Washington Post • Apr. 8, 2015

"I can't read or write music," she said, "but if I were a musician, I'd have put a crotchet here instead of a quaver."

From The Guardian • May 8, 2013

This is a crotchet, Citt, that did not fall under my Night-Cap.

From Citt and Bumpkin (1680) by L'Estrange, Sir Roger