definitions

crotchet

[ kroch-it ]
/ ˈkrɒtʃ ɪt /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR crotchet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an odd fancy or whimsical notion.
a small hook.
a hooklike device or part.
Entomology. a small, hooklike process.
Music. Chiefly British. a quarter note.
a curved surgical instrument with a sharp hook.

RELATED WORDS

peculiarity, whim, freak, vagary, trait, fancy, caprice, eccentricity, notion

Nearby words

crosswort, crostini, crotal, crotalin, crotch, crotchet, crotchety, crotchwood, croton, croton bug, croton oil

Origin of crotchet

1350–1400; Middle English crochet hook, staff with hook at end < Middle French (see crochet); doublet of crocket
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for crotchet

British Dictionary definitions for crotchet

crotchet

/ (ˈkrɒtʃɪt) /

noun

music a note having the time value of a quarter of a semibreveUsual US and Canadian name: quarter note
a small hook or hooklike device
a perverse notion
zoology a small notched or hooked process, as in an insect

Word Origin for crotchet

C14: from Old French crochet, literally: little hook, from croche hook; see crocket
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012